Zedel

The Zedel company was founded by Ernest Zürcher and Herman Luthi in 1896 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It specialized in manufacturing motorcycle engines and spark plugs. As its primary customers were French, the company decided ten years later to relocate to Pontarlier, France, to avoid heavy export taxes. A new automobile factory was thus established.

Until World War I, the business thrived, and Zedel offered a wide range of models. In 1924, Gérôme Donnet, who had made his fortune manufacturing seaplanes for the French Navy, sought to diversify into the automobile industry and acquired the financially struggling Pontarlier factory. The brand was subsequently renamed Donnet-Zedel.

In 1926, the company acquired the Vinot & Deguingand factory in Nanterre and inaugurated a state-of-the-art plant in 1928. Vehicles produced in this facility bore the simple name "Donnet." The outdated Zedel factory in Pontarlier closed in 1929.

The Great Depression of the same year plunged the company into severe financial difficulties, leading to its bankruptcy in 1934. The factory was then purchased by Fiat, which established its French subsidiary, Simca, on the site.