Jean-Albert Grégoire (no connection with Automobiles Grégoire, France) was not only an automobile engineer but also a practical fact-finder who strongly believed that every automobile, however well-built, had scope for improvements. He never formed his own company but worked closely with a few firms and gave his ideas. One was Hotchkiss, who built cars in the first half of the 20th century.

The development of the Hotchkiss Grégoire (also known as Grégoire R) began almost at the same time as the Hotchkiss Antheor. This was a front-wheel-drive car with a 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder boxer engine. With a special suspension system, this car looked different and had all the best interior features, but its expensive pricing made Hotchkiss stop* production after just one year and with only 247 units being produced. This car had a top speed of 150 km/hr.

* Hotchkiss facility was diverted to make Jeeps and later trucks