Production was delayed, however, by a wave of strikes, that accompanied the June 1936 electoral victory of Léon Blum's Popular Front government.

Advanced features included independent front suspension, a 4-speed gear box, hydraulically controlled drum brakes on all four wheels and a 12-volt electrical system.

In a test it managed to travel 110 kilometers on just 5 litres of fuel, which equates to 4.545 L/100 km or 51.75 mpg The car was originally intended for sale on the domestic market for less than 10,000 French Francs, an aspiration soon overtaken by a decline in the currency's value that gathered pace in the second half of the 1930s.

By the time of the 32nd Paris Motor Show in October 1938, the manufacturer's listed price even for the base "standard" bodied car, was 13,980 francs.

[3] Production of the Simca 5 was slowed (but did not ever cease entirely) by the war and the period of German occupation in the early 1940s, but resumed in 1946.