MPM Motors

MPM Motors was a French automotive start-up established in September 2015 by brothers Oleg and Igor Paramonov. The company was created in France as a tribute to their father, industrialist Michael Paramonov, with the name MPM derived from “Mr. Paramonov Manufacturing.” Based in Croissy-sur-Seine, the business sought to establish a small domestic car manufacturer using an existing vehicle concept rather than developing a completely new platform from the ground up. The company’s principal product originated with the Aquila project associated with TagAZ, a Russian manufacturer linked to the Doninvest industrial group. The Aquila had originally been developed in South Korea and subsequently produced in Russia, but the project was left without sufficient industrial support after the collapse of the wider group. MPM Motors acquired and reworked the concept for a new French venture, initially presenting the resulting vehicle under the name PS160. MPM developed a largely manual production operation in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines area. The facility opened in January 2016 and was intended to create local employment while allowing the company to manufacture at a relatively small scale. The PS160 received European approval from UTAC in December 2016, an important regulatory step that enabled the car to be offered within the European market. MPM continued development work from offices in Croissy-sur-Seine and promoted itself as an independent French manufacturer rather than as a conventional high-volume automotive group. In August 2018, the PS160 was renamed Erelis. The revised model used a PSA three-cylinder, 1.2-litre turbocharged engine rated at 130 horsepower. MPM presented the Erelis at Les Grandes Heures Automobiles in September 2018, using the event to raise the model’s public profile among French automotive enthusiasts. The Erelis remained the company’s only developed and marketed road-car model. MPM also worked on a proposed SUV called the Vultur, which was reported to be approximately 95 percent complete when the company entered bankruptcy proceedings, but it did not become an established production product. MPM additionally planned a dedicated racing series, the MPM Cup, using MPM vehicles on French circuits. The championship began taking place from 2019 and represented an effort to support brand visibility and create a motorsport community around the company’s limited product range. MPM Motors filed for bankruptcy in March 2021. As a result, the company is treated as a defunct automobile manufacturer. Its short history illustrates the difficulties faced by low-volume automotive start-ups: the business had to adapt an inherited vehicle concept, establish production infrastructure, obtain European approval, and build market recognition with a single model. Although the Erelis and the planned Vultur did not develop into a broad product family, MPM remains notable for attempting to revive and industrialize the Aquila concept under a French brand.

MPM Motors was founded in France in September 2015 by brothers Oleg and Igor Paramonov. The company’s name referred to “Mr. Paramonov Manufacturing” and commemorated their father, Michael Paramonov, an industrialist whose sons had grown up in France. The venture was established in Croissy-sur-Seine and aimed to create a French automotive manufacturer operating at a small scale. Rather than originate an entirely new vehicle architecture, MPM took over the development direction of the Aquila, a project associated with TagAZ. The Aquila had roots in South Korea and had entered production in Russia, but the project was abandoned after the failure of the industrial group connected with TagAZ. MPM Motors attempted to give the design a new commercial and industrial life in France. The resulting coupé was initially called the PS160. MPM opened an entirely manual production chain in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines area in January 2016. This facility was intended to support local employment and make low-volume vehicle assembly possible without the capital requirements of a mass-production plant. In December of the same year, the PS160 obtained European approval from UTAC. That approval represented the company’s principal regulatory gateway into the European market. The company continued developing the model and related future projects from its Croissy-sur-Seine offices. In August 2018, it renamed the PS160 Erelis and specified a PSA three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbocharged engine producing 130 horsepower. The Erelis was exhibited at Les Grandes Heures Automobiles in September 2018. It was MPM’s only developed road-car model to reach the company’s marketed product range. MPM also planned a motorsport program. The MPM Cup, a championship dedicated to MPM cars, took place on French circuits from 2019. The series was intended to provide a promotional and sporting platform for the brand, which had a very limited production portfolio. In parallel, the company worked on an SUV known as the Vultur. The Vultur was reported to be approximately 95 percent complete when MPM entered bankruptcy, but it did not progress into an established production model. MPM Motors filed for bankruptcy in March 2021. No later production program or successor operation is established in the supplied reference material. The company is therefore recorded as defunct. Its history is principally defined by the effort to revive the abandoned Aquila concept, obtain European approval, assemble cars manually in France, and create a recognizable brand around the Erelis and MPM Cup.

• 2021

  Bankruptcy filing

  [1]MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  MPM Motors filed for bankruptcy in March, ending its independent manufacturing activity.

• 2019

  MPM Cup begins

  [1]MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  The brand’s dedicated racing championship began operating on French circuits.

• 2018

  PS160 becomes the Erelis

  [1]MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  MPM renamed its coupé Erelis and adopted a PSA 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine with 130 horsepower.

• 2018

  Erelis displayed at Les Grandes Heures Automobiles

  [1]MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  MPM exhibited the Erelis at the French automotive event in September.

• 2016

  Manual production operation opened

  [1]MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  MPM opened a manual production chain in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines area in January.

• 2016

  PS160 receives European approval

  [1]MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  UTAC granted European approval to the PS160 in December.

• 2015

  MPM Motors founded in France

  [1]MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  Oleg and Igor Paramonov established MPM Motors in Croissy-sur-Seine as a French automotive start-up.

A small, independent French automobile manufacturer focused on low-volume production of an affordable, distinctive sports coupé and on building a surrounding motorsport identity.

• Sports coupé · 2016

  MPM Erelis

  The Erelis was MPM Motors’ principal and only developed road-car product. It evolved from the earlier Aquila project associated with TagAZ and was initially marketed as the PS160. In August 2018, MPM adopted the Erelis name and specified a PSA three-cylinder, 1.2-litre turbocharged engine rated at 130 horsepower. The vehicle received European approval in December 2016 and was presented publicly under its renamed identity at Les Grandes Heures Automobiles in September 2018.

• SUV

  MPM Vultur

  The Vultur was a planned SUV project developed by MPM Motors as a possible expansion beyond the Erelis. It was reported to be about 95 percent complete when the company filed for bankruptcy in 2021. The vehicle did not become an established production model.

• 2019MPM Cup

  France

  MPM Motors organized a dedicated racing championship for MPM models, with events held on French circuits from 2019. The series connected the brand with grassroots motorsport and provided a promotional setting for its limited vehicle range.

  Outcome. The championship operated during the company’s final years, but the supplied sources do not establish its later continuation after MPM’s bankruptcy.

  Source

• 2019

  Creation of a dedicated MPM racing championshipStrategy

  Background

  With a narrow product portfolio, MPM sought additional brand exposure and a way to associate its cars with motorsport.

  Action taken

  The company launched the MPM Cup on French circuits for MPM models.

  Aftermath

  The cup formed part of the brand’s final promotional strategy before its 2021 bankruptcy.

  Source

• 2018

  Rename and re-specification of the PS160 as the ErelisGeneration change

  Background

  MPM’s first coupé had originally been presented as the PS160 and was based on the inherited Aquila project.

  Action taken

  The company renamed the model Erelis and adopted a PSA 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 130 horsepower.

  Aftermath

  The Erelis became MPM’s principal marketed road car and was exhibited at Les Grandes Heures Automobiles in September 2018.

  Source

1. 1MPM Motorsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2MPM Motors official websitempm-motors.com