GEM (France) - AllCarIndex

Sté Générale d'Automobiles Électro-Mécaniques, commonly known as G.E.M., was a French automobile manufacturer based in Puteaux, Seine. The company was active from 1907 to 1909 and was notable for its innovative petrol-electric vehicle designs. The G.E.M. was first introduced at the 1907 Paris Salon, showcasing a unique combination of a 20-horsepower four-cylinder engine paired with a dynamo.

The design of the G.E.M. included various body styles, such as an open tourer and a sedanca de ville. In 1909, the company adopted the Daimler-Knight sleeve-valve engine, which marked a significant shift in its engineering approach. There is speculation that G.E.M. may have produced some of its vehicles under license from the Belgian company Auto-Mixte, as both manufacturers employed similar techniques and utilized Daimler engines.

Despite its innovative designs, G.E.M. struggled to achieve commercial success, and 1909 marked the end of the brand's production. Following the closure of G.E.M., Léon Girardot, the founder, transitioned to selling Daimler vehicles and became the concessionaire for the entire French market. He also constructed a single vehicle under his own name, which featured a sleeve-valve Panhard engine mounted on a Charron chassis.