 The Suez Crisis of October 1956 was a catalyst that undermined the position of the V8 Simcas, however, due to the fuel shortages and price increases that it triggered.By this time domestic competition was in any case much intensified by the arrival of the Citroen DS which, despite getting off to a slow start, and despite being stuck with an engine design that had changed little since the 1930s, now became increasingly dominant in France's market for large family cars.It was often asserted that the Simca Ariane's launch was a direct result of the Suez Crisis, but it is now clear that by 1956 Simca's project for a big car with a little engine "("une grande voiture à petit moteur")" had already existed for several years.