Citroën GS Birotor
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Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 1919 by
André Citroën André-Gustave Citroën (; 5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a French industrialist and the founder of French automaker Citroën. He is also remembered for his application of double helical gears. Life and career Born in Paris in 1878, A ...
. Citroën has been owned by
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...
since 2021 and previously was part of the
PSA Group Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles unde ...
after
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
acquired 89.95% share in 1976. Citroën's head office is located in the
Stellantis Poissy Plant The Stellantis site in Poissy (Yvelines, France) has an automobile production plant, a digital production plant and a "Green Campus", on bordering the river "Seine, La Seine" and served by the railway and the Paris-Normandy, Normandie motorways. ...
in
Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine (; literally "Audoin (bishop), St. Audoin on Seine") is a Communes of France, commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. It is part of the Seine-Saint-Denis Department ...
since 2021 (previously in Rueil-Malmaison) and its offices studies and research in Vélizy-Villacoublay, Poissy (CEMR), Carrières-sous-Poissy and Sochaux-Montbéliard. In 1934, the firm established its reputation for innovative technology with the
Traction Avant Traction may refer to: Engineering *Forces: ** Traction (mechanics), adhesive friction or force ** Traction vector, in mechanics, the force per unit area on a surface, including normal and shear components * Traction motor, an electric motor us ...
. This was the world's first car to be mass-produced with
front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...
and four-wheel independent suspension, as well as
unibody A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had ...
construction, omitting a separate chassis, and instead using the body of the car itself as its main load-bearing structure. In 1954, Citroën produced the world's first
hydropneumatic Hydropneumatic devices (or hydro-pneumatic devices) are systems that operate using water and gas. The devices are used in various applications. Description A hydropneumatic device is a tool that functions by using water and gas. ''Hydropneumati ...
self-levelling suspension Self-levelling refers to an automobile suspension system that maintains a constant ride height of the vehicle above the road, regardless of load. Purpose Many vehicle systems on a conventional vehicle are negatively affected by the change in att ...
system; then the revolutionary DS, the first mass-produced car with modern
disc brakes Disc or disk may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a two dimensional shape, the interior of a circle * Disk storage * Optical disc * Floppy disk Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other ...
, in 1955. In 1967, swiveling headlights that allowed for greater visibility on winding roads were introduced in several models. These cars have received various national and international awards, including three
European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising media of the award are '' Auto'' (Italy), '' Aut ...
awards.


History

André Citroën graduated from the
École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...
in 1900 and visited his mother's homeland, Poland, shortly after she died. During that holiday, he saw a carpenter working on a set of gears with a fishbone structure that were less noisy and more efficient. Citroën bought the patent for very little money, leading to the invention of double helical gears. The next year, he and his partners invested a significant portion of his inheritance in founding "Citroën, Hinstin et Cie," a gear manufacturing business specializing in V-shaped helical gears, starting with about ten workers. Citroën had a successful six-year stint working with
Mors Mors may refer to: *Mors (mythology), the personification of death in Roman mythology *Mors, Latin for death *Mors (automobile), a French car manufacturer from 1895 to 1925 :* American Mors, Mors vehicles produced under licence in America by the S ...
between 1908 and the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. He built
armament A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law e ...
s for France during the war, but he realized that unless he planned ahead, he would have a modern factory without a product afterward.


Early years

Citroën began planning to switch to automobile manufacturing by 1916, when he asked the engineer Louis Dufresne, previously with Mors rival
Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks#Military vehicles, Re ...
, to design a technically sophisticated 18-horsepower automobile he could produce in his factory once peace returned. Long before that happened, however, he had modified his vision and decided, like
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
, that the best post-war opportunities in auto-making would involve a lighter car of good quality, but made in sufficient quantities to be priced enticingly. In February 1917, Citroën contacted the 1909 creator of
Le Zèbre Le Zèbre was a French make of car built between 1909 and 1931 in Puteaux, and later Suresnes. The company was founded by Jules Salomon and Georges Richard initially with finance from Jacques Bizet, son of composer Georges Bizet. History ...
, French automotive engineer , with a mandate that was characteristically both demanding and simple: produce an all-new design for a 10-horsepower car that would be better equipped, more robust, and less costly to produce than any rival product at the time. The result was the
Citroën Type A The Citroën Type A was produced from June 1919 to December 1921 in Paris, France. It was the first car Citroën made. 24,093 were built. Origins During World War I, André Citroën was producing ammunition. As early as 1917, Citroën investigate ...
, announced to the press in March 1919, just four months after the guns fell silent. The first production Type A emerged from the factory—located at Quai de Javel,
Vaugirard The 15th arrondissement of Paris () is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ('the fifteenth'). The 15th arrondissement, called , is situated on the left bank of the River Seine. S ...
,
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
—at the end of May 1919, and in June it was exhibited at a showroom at Number 42, on the
Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...
in Paris which normally sold Alda cars. Citroën persuaded the owner of the Alda business, Fernand Charron, to lend him the showroom, which is still in use today. This ''C42'' showroom is where the company organises exhibitions and shows its vehicles and concept cars. A few years later, Charron would be persuaded to become a major investor in the Citroën business. On 7 July 1919, the first customer took delivery of a new 10HP Type A. In the same year, it produced 30 cars daily, totaling 2,810 vehicles, with 12,244 produced in 1920. That same year, André Citroën briefly negotiated with
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
a proposed sale of the Citroën company., p. 317. The deal nearly closed, but General Motors ultimately decided that its management and capital would be too overstretched by the takeover, thus, Citroën remained independent until 1935. Between 1921 and 1937, Citroën produced half-track vehicles for off-road and military uses, using the
Kégresse track A Kégresse track is a kind of rubber or canvas continuous track which uses a flexible belt rather than interlocking metal segments. It can be fitted to a conventional car or truck to turn it into a half-track, suitable for use over rough or soft ...
system. In the 1920s, the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
purchased several Citroën-Kégresse vehicles for evaluation followed by a licence to produce them. This resulted in the
United States Army Ordnance Department The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. The broad mission of the Ordnance Corps is to supply A ...
building a prototype in 1939. In December 1942, it went into production with the
M2 Half Track Car The M2 half-track car was an armored half-track produced by the United States during World War II. Its design drew upon half-tracks imported from France in the 1930s, employing standard components supplied by U.S. truck manufacturers to speed p ...
and M3 Half-track versions. The U.S. eventually produced more than 41,000 vehicles in over 70 versions between 1940 and 1944. After their 1940 occupation of France, the
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
s captured many of the Citroën half-track vehicles and armored them for their own use. Citroën used the
Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...
as the world's largest advertising sign, as recorded in ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
''. He also sponsored expeditions in Asia ( Croisière Jaune), North America (Croisière Blanche) and Africa (Croisière Noire), demonstrating the potential for motor vehicles equipped with the
Kégresse track A Kégresse track is a kind of rubber or canvas continuous track which uses a flexible belt rather than interlocking metal segments. It can be fitted to a conventional car or truck to turn it into a half-track, suitable for use over rough or soft ...
system to cross inhospitable regions. These expeditions conveyed
scientists A scientist is a person who researches to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophical study of nature ...
and
journalists A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
. Demonstrating extraordinary toughness, a 1923 Citroën that had already travelled was the first car to be driven around Australia. The car, a 1923 Citroën 5CV Type C Torpedo, was driven by Neville Westwood from
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
,
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, on a round trip from August to December 1925. This vehicle is now fully restored and in the collection of the
National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia (NMA), in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''Nation ...
. In 1924, Citroën began a business relationship with the American engineer Edward G. Budd. From 1899, Budd had worked to develop stainless steel bodies for railroad cars, for Pullman in particular. Budd went on to manufacture steel bodies for many automakers,
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
being his first big auto client. At the Paris Motor Show in October 1924, Citroën introduced the
Citroën B10 Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...
, the first all-steel body in Europe. These automobiles were initially successful in the marketplace, but soon competitors who were still using a
wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
en structure for their vehicles, introduced new body designs. Citroën, who did not redesign the bodies of his cars, still sold in large quantities nonetheless, the cars' low price being the main selling point, which factor however caused Citroën to experience heavy losses. In 1927, the bank
Lazard Lazard Inc. (formerly known as Lazard Ltd and Lazard Frères & Co.) is a financial advisory and asset management firm that engages in investment banking, asset management and other financial services, primarily with institutional clients. It i ...
helped Citroën by bringing new much-needed funds, as well as by renegotiating its debt—for example, by buying out the Société de Vente des Automobiles Citroën (SOVAC). It went even further by entering in its capital and being represented on the board; the three directors sent by Lazard were Raymond Philippe, Andre Meyer and Paul Frantzen. André Citroën perceived the need to differentiate his product, to avoid the low price competition surrounding his conventional rear drive models in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1933 he introduced the Rosalie, the first commercially available passenger car with a
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
, developed with
Harry Ricardo Sir Harry Ralph Ricardo (26 January 1885 – 18 May 1974) was an English engineer who was one of the foremost engine designers and researchers in the early years of the development of the internal combustion engine. Among his many other works, ...
.


Traction Avant and Michelin ownership


Traction Avant

The
Traction Avant Traction may refer to: Engineering *Forces: ** Traction (mechanics), adhesive friction or force ** Traction vector, in mechanics, the force per unit area on a surface, including normal and shear components * Traction motor, an electric motor us ...
is a car that pioneered the mass production of three revolutionary features that are still in use today: a unitary body with no separate frame, four wheel
independent suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in ...
and
front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...
. Whereas for many decades, the vast majority of motor cars were similar in conception to the
Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...
– a body bolted onto a
ladder frame A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had ...
which held all the mechanical elements of the car, a solid rear axle that rigidly connected the rear wheels and
rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-whee ...
. The ''Model T school'' of automobile engineering proved popular because it was considered cheap to build, although it did pose dynamic defects as automobiles were becoming more capable, and resulted in heavier cars, which is why today cars are more like the Traction Avant than the Model T under the skin. In 1934 Citroën commissioned the American
Budd Company The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense produ ...
to create a prototype, which evolved into the 7 fiscal horsepower (CV), Traction Avant. Achieving quick development of the Traction Avant, tearing down and rebuilding the factory (in five months) and the extensive marketing efforts, were investments that resulted too costly for Citroën to do all at once, causing the financial ruin of the company. In December 1934, despite the assistance of the Michelin company, Citroën filed for bankruptcy. Within the month,
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
, already the car manufacturer's largest creditor, became its principal shareholder. However, the technologically advanced
Traction Avant Traction may refer to: Engineering *Forces: ** Traction (mechanics), adhesive friction or force ** Traction vector, in mechanics, the force per unit area on a surface, including normal and shear components * Traction motor, an electric motor us ...
had met with market acceptance, and the basic philosophy of cutting-edge technology used as a differentiator, continued until the late 1990s. Pierre Michelin became the chairman of Citroën early in 1935.
Pierre-Jules Boulanger Pierre-Jules Boulanger, often known simply as Pierre Boulanger (10 March 1885 – 12 November 1950), was a French engineer and businessman. He directed Citroën as a vice-president and as chairman from 1935 until his death in a car accident. He ...
, his deputy, became the vice-president and chief of the engineering and design departments. In 1935, the founder
André Citroën André-Gustave Citroën (; 5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a French industrialist and the founder of French automaker Citroën. He is also remembered for his application of double helical gears. Life and career Born in Paris in 1878, A ...
died from stomach cancer.


Research breakthroughs

Pierre-Jules Boulanger Pierre-Jules Boulanger, often known simply as Pierre Boulanger (10 March 1885 – 12 November 1950), was a French engineer and businessman. He directed Citroën as a vice-president and as chairman from 1935 until his death in a car accident. He ...
had been a First World War air reconnaissance photography specialist with the
French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
; he was capable and efficient and finished the war with the rank of captain. He was also courageous, having been decorated with the Military Cross and the Legion of Honour. He started working for
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
in 1918, reporting directly to Édouard Michelin, co-director and founder of the business. Boulanger joined the Michelin board in 1922 and became president of Citroën in January 1938 after the death in a road accident of his friend Pierre Michelin remaining in this position until his own death in 1950. In 1938, he also had become Michelin's joint managing director. During the
German occupation of France in World War II The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
Boulanger refused to meet Dr.
Ferdinand Porsche Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was a German automotive engineering, automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche, Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first Petrol engine, gasoline–Electric motor, el ...
or communicate with the German authorities except through intermediaries. He organized a "go slow" on production of trucks for the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
, many of which were sabotaged at the factory by putting the notch on the oil dipstick in the wrong place, which resulted in engine seizure. In 1944 when the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
headquarters in Paris was sacked by the
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
, his name was prominent on a
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
blacklist of the most important enemies of the Reich, to be arrested in the event of an allied invasion of France. Citroën researchers, including
Paul Magès Paul Ernest Mary Magès (1908–1999) is known for his invention of the first self-leveling automobile suspension, known as hydro-pneumatic suspension. This system replaced conventional steel springs with an adaptive system of hydraulic struts, ...
, continued their work in secret, against the express orders of the Germans, and developed the concepts that were later brought to market in three remarkable vehicles – a small car (2CV), a delivery van (Type H) and a large, swift family car (DS). These were widely regarded by contemporary
journalists A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
as
avant garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
, even radical, solutions to automotive design. Thus began a decades-long period of unusual
brand loyalty In marketing and consumer behaviour, brand loyalty describes a consumer's persistent positive feelings towards a familiar brand and their dedication to purchasing the brand's products and/or services repeatedly regardless of deficiencies, a ...
, normally seen in the automobile industry only in niche brands, like
Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
and
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
.


2CV

Citroën unveiled the
Citroën 2CV The Citroën 2CV (, , lit. "two horses", meaning "two Tax horsepower#France, ''taxable'' horsepower") is an economy car produced by the French company Citroën from 1948 to 1990. Introduced at the 1948 Paris Paris Auto Show, Salon de l'Automobi ...
or ''Deux Chevaux'' signifying two
tax horsepower The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries such as the UK, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate ...
and initially only , at the
Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...
in 1948. The car became a bestseller, achieving the designer's aim of providing rural
French people French people () are a nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common Culture of France, French culture, History of France, history, and French language, language, identified with the country of France. The French people, esp ...
with a motorized alternative to the
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
. It was unusually inexpensive to purchase and, with its small two cylinder engine, inexpensive to run as well. The 2CV pioneered a very soft, interconnected suspension, but did not have the more complex self-levelling feature. This car remained in production, with only minor changes, until 1990 and was a common sight on French roads until recently; 9 million 2CV variants were produced in the period 1948–1990.


DS

1955 saw the introduction of the DS, the first full usage of Citroën's
hydropneumatic Hydropneumatic devices (or hydro-pneumatic devices) are systems that operate using water and gas. The devices are used in various applications. Description A hydropneumatic device is a tool that functions by using water and gas. ''Hydropneumati ...
self-levelling suspension Self-levelling refers to an automobile suspension system that maintains a constant ride height of the vehicle above the road, regardless of load. Purpose Many vehicle systems on a conventional vehicle are negatively affected by the change in att ...
system, tested on the rear suspension of the Traction in 1954. The DS was also the first production car with modern
disc brakes Disc or disk may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a two dimensional shape, the interior of a circle * Disk storage * Optical disc * Floppy disk Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other ...
. A single high-pressure
hydraulic Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...
system was used to actuate the
power steering Power steering is a system for reducing a driver's effort to turn a steering wheel of a motor vehicle, by using a power source to assist steering. Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver can ...
, the
suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Car suspension * Cell suspension or suspension culture, in biology * Guarded suspension, a software design pattern in concurrent programming suspending a method call and the calling ...
and brakes; the brakes were fully powered, not power assisted, as pedal force was not a component of braking power. The gearshift, (semi-
automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...
) was also powered by the hydraulic system through a control valve, with actuating pistons in the
gearbox A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...
cover to shift the gears in the
transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...
, and the clutch was operated automatically by the system, so there was no clutch pedal. From 1957 the ID19 model offered a simplified hydraulic system, with manual steering and conventional manual gearshift, and a significant price reduction. From 1968, with revised front end style, the DS also introduced auxiliary driving lights, that moved directionally with the steering, improving visibility at night. Production from 1956 to 1975 totalled almost 1.5 million cars. The streamlined car was remarkable for its era and had a remarkable sounding name – in French, ''DS'' is pronounced , which sounds the same as , which means ''
Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
''. It placed third in the 1999
Car of the Century The Car of the Century (COTC) is an international award that was given to the world's most influential car of the 20th century. The election process was overseen by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation. The winner, the Ford Model T, was annou ...
competition.


High pressure hydraulics

This high-pressure hydraulic system would form the basis of over 9 million Citroën cars, including the DS, SM, GS, CX, BX, XM, Xantia, C5, and C6.
Self-levelling suspension Self-levelling refers to an automobile suspension system that maintains a constant ride height of the vehicle above the road, regardless of load. Purpose Many vehicle systems on a conventional vehicle are negatively affected by the change in att ...
is the principal user benefit: the car maintains a constant ride height above the road, regardless of passenger and cargo load and despite the very soft suspension.
Hydropneumatic suspension Hydropneumatic suspension is a type of motor vehicle suspension system, invented by Paul Magès, produced by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being used under licence by other car manufacturers. Similar systems are also widely u ...
is uniquely able to absorb road irregularities without disturbing the occupantsAutotrader
autotraderclassics.com
and is often compared to riding on a ''
magic carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its user(s) to their destination. In literature On ...
'' for this reason. These vehicles shared the distinguishing feature of rising to operating
ride height Ride height or ground clearance is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the lowest point of the automobile, typically the bottom exterior of the differential housing (even though the lower shock mounting point may be l ...
when the engine was turned on, like a "mechanical camel" (per ''Car & Driver'' magazine). A lever ( later replaced by an electronic switch ) beside the driver's seat allowed the driver to adjust the height of the car; this height adjustability allows for the clearing of obstacles, fording shallow (slow-moving) streams and changing tyres. Since Citroën was underfunded, its vehicles had the tendency to be underdeveloped at launch, with limited distribution and service networks outside France. Consequently, the early DS models experienced teething issues with the complex hydraulic system. Eventually, the hydraulic seals and system component design were sorted, becoming reliable. Licensing such a technological leap forward was pursued to a limited extent: in 1965 the
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and its slightly stretched version, the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II, are full-size luxury cars produced by British automaker Rolls-Royce in various forms from 1965 to 1980. It was the first of the marque to use ...
used this type of suspension, while the 1963
Mercedes-Benz 600 The Mercedes-Benz 600 (factory code "W100") is a single-generation line of full-size ultra-luxury limousines and Pullman limousines, made by Daimler-Benz from 1963 through 1981. Nicknamed ''Der Grosser (Grand/Large Mercedes)'', succeeded t ...
and
Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 The Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 is a full-sized luxury performance car built by Mercedes-Benz from 1968 to 1972. It featured the company's powerful 6.3-litre Mercedes-Benz M100 engine, M100 V8 engine, V8 from the flagship Mercedes-Benz 600, 600 (W1 ...
tried to replicate its advantages with a costly, complex and expensive to maintain,
air suspension Air suspension is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor. This compressor pumps the air into a flexible bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. Unlike hydropneumatic suspensio ...
, that avoided the Citroën-patented technology. By 1975, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was finally produced with this proven system and
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
continues to offer variations on this technology today. During Citroën's 1968–1975 venture with
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
, the Citroën high-pressure hydraulic system was used on several Maserati models : for power clutch operation (Bora); power pedal adjustment (Bora); pop-up headlights (Bora, Merak); brakes (Bora, Merak, Khamsin); steering (Khamsin) and the entire Quattroporte II prototype, which was a four-door
Citroën SM The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car ...
under the skin.


Aerodynamic pioneer

Citroën was one of the early pioneers of the now-widespread trend of
aerodynamic Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...
automobile design, which helps to reduce
fuel consumption A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...
and to improve high-speed performance, by reducing
wind resistance In fluid dynamics, drag, sometimes referred to as fluid resistance, is a force acting opposite to the direction of motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid. This can exist between two fluid layers, two solid surfaces, or b ...
. The DS could happily cruise at without any discomfort for the occupants. The firm began using a
wind tunnel A wind tunnel is "an apparatus for producing a controlled stream of air for conducting aerodynamic experiments". The experiment is conducted in the test section of the wind tunnel and a complete tunnel configuration includes air ducting to and f ...
in the 1950s, helping them to create highly streamlined cars, like the DS, that were years ahead of their competitors, and so good were the aerodynamics of the CX model, that it took its name – \mathbf c_\mathrm x\, – from the mathematical term used to measure the drag coefficient.


Expansion and financial challenges

In the 1960s, Citroën undertook a series of financial and development decisions, aiming to build on its strength of the 1950s with the successful 2CV, Type H, and DS models. Nevertheless, these maneuvers were insufficiently effective, and Citroën went bankrupt again in 1974. These measures were to address two key gaps facing the company: *First, the lack of a mid-size car, between its own range of very small, cheap passenger vehicles ( 2CV/ Ami) and the large, expensive models ( DS/ID). In today's terms, this would be similar to a brand consisting only of the
Tata Nano The Tata Nano is a city car/microcar manufactured and marketed by Indian automaker Tata Motors over a single generation from 2008–2018, primarily in India, as an inexpensive rear-engine hatchback for motorcycle and scooter drivers — wit ...
and
Jaguar XJ The Jaguar XJ is a series of mid-size/full-size luxury cars produced by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars (becoming Jaguar Land Rover in 2013) from 1968 to 2019. It was produced across four basic platform generations (debuting in 1968 ...
. Because of its potential volume, the mid-size segment was the most profitable part of the car market and, in 1965, the ''Citroënesque''
Renault 16 The Renault 16 (R16) is a large family car hatchback manufactured and marketed over a single generation by French automaker Renault between 1965 and 1980 in Le Havre, France — and widely noted as the first French winner of the European Car o ...
stepped in to fill it. *The second major issue was the lack of a powerful engine, suitable for export markets. The post-WW2
Tax horsepower The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries such as the UK, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate ...
system in France was steeply progressive and vehicles over 2.0 (later 2.8) litres displacement faced a heavy annual tax, with the result that cars made in France were considered underpowered outside the country. For both the 1955 DS and 1974 CX models, development of the original engine around which the design was planned proved too expensive for the available finances, so the actual engine used in both cases was a modest and outdated four-cylinder design. These steps include: *1963 – opened negotiations with
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
to cooperate in the purchase of raw materials and equipment, but talks broke off in 1965. *1964 – partnered with
NSU Motorenwerke NSU Motorenwerke AG, or NSU, was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and pedal cycles, founded in 1873. Acquired by Volkswagen Group in 1969, VW merged NSU with Auto Union, creating Audi NSU Auto Union AG, ultimately Audi. The NSU i ...
to develop the
Wankel engine The Wankel engine (, ) is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric (mechanism), eccentric Pistonless rotary engine, rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. The concept was proven by German engineer Felix Wankel, f ...
via the Comobil (later Comotor) subsidiary. For Citroën, this represented the chance for a technological run around the French
Tax horsepower The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries such as the UK, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate ...
system by producing a more powerful but still small power plant. The first production car developed 106 hp from a 1-litre engine, while the standard GS delivered 55 hp with a 1-litre engine. *1965 – took over the French maker
Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks#Military vehicles, Re ...
in the hope of using its expertise in mid-sized cars; cooperation between the two companies had begun twelve years earlier and they had agreed to a partial merger of their sales networks in 1953; Panhard ceased manufacturing in 1967. *1965 – purchased the truck manufacturer
Berliet Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and military vehicles among other vehicles based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into 'a ...
. *1968 – purchased the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...
maker
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
again with an eye to producing a more powerful car, keeping a small engine in line with the French
tax horsepower The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries such as the UK, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate ...
system. The first production vehicle developed 170 hp with a 2.7 litre engine, this was the 1970 SM, which featured a V6 Maserati power plant,
hydropneumatic suspension Hydropneumatic suspension is a type of motor vehicle suspension system, invented by Paul Magès, produced by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being used under licence by other car manufacturers. Similar systems are also widely u ...
and a fully powered, self-centering steering system called DIRAVI; the SM was engineered as if it were replacing the DS family car, a level of investment that the small luxury
Grand Touring car A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving with performance and luxury. The most common format is a Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with ...
sector alone would never be able to support, even in the best of circumstances. *1968 – restructured worldwide operations under a new holding company, Citroën SA.
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
, Citroën's longtime controlling shareholder, sold a 49% stake to
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
in what was referred to as the ''PARDEVI'' agreement (Participation et Développement Industriels). The teams of Charles Marchetti and Citroën began working together on the development of the
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
. From a model range perspective, the 1970s started well, supported by the successful launch of the long-awaited mid-size
Citroën GS The Citroën GS is a front-engine, front-drive, four or five door, five passenger family car manufactured and marketed by Citroën in two series: for model years 1970–1979 in fastback saloon and estate bodystyles and subsequently as the GSA f ...
, finally filling the huge gap between the 2CV and the DS – with a 1-litre, hydropneumatically suspended car. The GS went on to sell 2.5 million units; 601,918 cars were produced in 1972 alone, up from the 526,443 of 1971, and enough to lift the company past
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
into second place among French auto makers when ranked by sales volume. The older models continued to sell well: the peak production period of the DS was 1970, and 2CV was in 1974. As the 1970s progressed, circumstances became more unfavourable. In 1973,
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
sold back to Michelin its 49% stake in the ''PARDEVI'' holding company that owned Citroën, the Citroën and Fiat joint announcement indicated that the benefits foreseen for their union in 1968 had failed to materialise. This was not in line with the tyre company's long-term strategy of ending involvements in the car manufacturing business and created a very unstable ownership situation. The company suffered another financial blow with the
1973 energy crisis In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after E ...
. The gamble on Comotor and
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
showed that there was a serious flaw with the plan particularly for companies producing engines with high fuel consumption. In 1974, the carmaker withdrew from North America due to U.S. design regulations that outlawed core features of Citroën cars (see
Citroën SM The Citroën SM is a high-performance coupé produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1970 to 1975. The SM placed third in the 1971 European Car of the Year contest, trailing its stablemate Citroën GS, and won the 1972 Motor Trend Car ...
). Huge losses at Citroën were caused by the failure of the Comotor rotary engine venture added to the strategic management error of going the from 1955 to 1970 without a model in the profitable middle range of the European market, plus the massive development costs a string of new models: the GS, GS Birotor, CX, SM,
Maserati Bora The Maserati Bora (Tipo AM117) is a two-seat, rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car and grand tourer, manufactured by Maserati from 1971 to 1978. In common with other Maserati cars of the era, it is named after a wind, Bora being the w ...
,
Maserati Merak The Maserati Merak (''Tipo AM122'') is a mid-engined 2+2 sports car produced by Maserati between 1972 and 1983. The Merak was closely related to the Maserati Bora, sharing part of its structure and body panels, but was powered by a 3.0 L V6 in ...
,
Maserati Quattroporte II The Maserati Quattroporte () is a four-door Full-size luxury car, full-size luxury Sedan (car), sedan produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. The name translated from Italian means "wikt:quattro, four wikt:porte#Italian, doors". Th ...
, and
Maserati Khamsin The Maserati Khamsin (''Tipo AM120'') is a grand tourer produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati between 1974 and 1982. The Khamsin was sold alongside the DeTomaso-based Maserati Kyalami - also a V8 GT car - between 1976 and 1982. F ...
. Each of these models is a technological marvel in its own right. Thus, forty years after the bankruptcy related to the
Traction Avant Traction may refer to: Engineering *Forces: ** Traction (mechanics), adhesive friction or force ** Traction vector, in mechanics, the force per unit area on a surface, including normal and shear components * Traction motor, an electric motor us ...
, Citroën went bankrupt again, losing its existence as an independent entity; selling Berliet and Maserati and closing Comotor.


PSA Peugeot Citroën era

Fearing large job losses due to the poor cash flow situation and the unstable ownership structure, the French government arranged talks between Citroën and Michelin culminating in the merger of Automobiles Citroën and Automobiles Peugeot into a single company. Thus, one year after the break with Fiat, on 24 June 1974 Citroën announced the new partnership, this time with Peugeot. to whom Michelin agreed to transfer control of the business. In December 1974 Peugeot S.A. acquired a 38.2% share of Citroën and on 9 April 1976 it increased its stake of the then bankrupt company to 89.95%, thus creating the ''PSA Group'' (where PSA is short for Peugeot
Société Anonyme The abbreviation S.A. or SA designates a type of limited company in certain countries, most of which have a Romance languages, Romance language as their official language and operate a derivative of the 1804, Napoleonic, civil law (legal syste ...
), becoming
PSA Peugeot Citroën Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...
. In May 1975
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
was sold to
De Tomaso De Tomaso Automobili Ltd. (previously known as De Tomaso Modena SpA) is an Italian car-manufacturing company. It was founded in 1959 by Alejandro de Tomaso in Modena. It originally produced various sports prototypes and auto racing vehicles, incl ...
and the new Italian owner was thereby able to exploit the sales potential of the models and technology developed by Citroën, as well as to utilise the image of the Maserati
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
in a downward
brand extension Brand extension or brand stretching is a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product category. The new product is called a spin-off. Organizations use this ...
to sell 40,000 of the newly designed
Bi-Turbo Twin-turbo is a type of turbo layout in which two turbochargers are used to compress the intake fuel/air mixture (or intake air, in the case of a Direct fuel injection, direct-injection engine). The most common layout features two identical or mir ...
models. The truck manufacturing company
Berliet Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and military vehicles among other vehicles based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into 'a ...
was sold to
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
. This new PSA venture was a financial success from 1976 to 1979. Citroën had two successful new designs in the market, the GS and CX. In the wake of the oil crisis, the brand also had resurgent sales for the 2CV and the Dyane, and soon the
Peugeot 104 The Peugeot 104 is a supermini car produced by the French company Peugeot between 1972 and 1988. It was designed by Paolo Martin was initially only sold as a four-door saloon car, with a three-door hatchback variant introduced in 1974 and a fiv ...
based
Citroën Visa The Citroën Visa is a five-door, front-engine, front wheel drive supermini car, supermini manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1978 to 1988 in gasoline and diesel variants. 1,254,390 examples were ultimately manufactured over a single gene ...
and Citroën LNA.
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
was typically prudent with its own finances. Then, PSA purchased the ageing assets and substantial liabilities of
Chrysler Europe Chrysler Europe was the American automotive company Chrysler's operations in Europe from 1967 through 1978. It was formed from the merger of the French Simca, British Rootes and Spanish Barreiros companies. In 1978, Chrysler divested thes ...
for $1, leading to losses from 1980 to 1985. PSA resurrected the
Talbot Talbot is a dormant automobile marque introduced in 1902 by British-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément ...
name for the Chrysler cars, but stopped producing cars with the badge in 1987 as the cars were considered unreliable and poorly-made. At the 2019
Geneva International Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised by ...
, the manufacturer presented the Ami One concept car to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Then, in May 2019, it unveiled the
Citroën 19_19 Concept The Citroën 19_19 Concept is a futuristic electric concept car developed by the French manufacturer Citroën presented on the occasion of its centenary. Presentation The 19_19 Concept was presented on 13 May 2019 at the Viva Technology show at ...
at the
Viva Technology Viva Technology, or VivaTech, is an annual technology conference, dedicated to innovation and startups, held in Paris, France. VivaTech was founded in 2016 by Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos. The first two days of VivaTech are for startup ...
show in Paris.


Conflict with the trade unions

In the early 1980s, Citroën was targeted by union action. On 25 May 1982, events led to a mass demonstration in the streets of Paris, when approximately 27,000 workers affirmed their wish to work at a company, which was being picketed by striking workers who had been blocking access to the factories for four weeks. The demonstration was successful and six days later work at the plants resumed. Jacques Lombard, one of the company's senior managers, had gone public with his concerns, criticising the strikes.


Changing design language

PSA gradually diluted Citroën's ambitious, highly individualistic, and distinctive approach to engineering and styling. All through the 1980s, Citroën models became increasingly Peugeot-like. The 1982 BX used the
hydropneumatic Hydropneumatic devices (or hydro-pneumatic devices) are systems that operate using water and gas. The devices are used in various applications. Description A hydropneumatic device is a tool that functions by using water and gas. ''Hydropneumati ...
suspension system and had a typical ''Citroënesque'' appearance, whilst being powered by Peugeot-derived engines and using the floorpan later seen on the
Peugeot 405 The Peugeot 405 is a large family car manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot from 1987 to 1997. Its production continued under license from outside Europe in Iran by Iran Khodro Company until 2020. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1 ...
. In this respect PSA followed the worldwide motor industry trend of platform sharing which is a logical way to reduce costs whilst selling apparently different models. By the late 1980s, many of the distinctive features of the brand had been removed or altered. Peugeot's conventional switchgear replaced Citroën's quirky but ergonomic ''Lunule'' designs, complete with self-cancelling indicators that Citroën had refused to adopt on ergonomic grounds. The cars were "more banal and conventional", but also able to break into new markets, like fleet vehicles in the UK.


Geographic expansion

In the meantime Citroën expanded into many new global markets. Beyond existing manufacturing plants in
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, and
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, it added
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, Greece, Romania, and China. In the late 1970s, the firm developed a small car for production in Romania known as the Oltcit, which it sold in Western Europe as the Citroën Axel. That joint venture has now ended, but a new one between PSA and Toyota is now producing cars like the Citroën C1 in the Czech Republic. The Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile, China joint venture began selling cars in 1984 and building them in 1994. The range of family cars there included the Citroën C3, C3 and Citroën Xsara, Xsara and locally designed cars like the Citroën Fukang, Fukang and Citroën Elysée, Elysée models. By 2014 the brand had increased its Chinese sales by 30%, amid overall market growth of 11%, and ranked highest in China's 2014 JD Power satisfaction survey. Citroën is a global brand, except in North America, where the company has not returned since the SM Citroën SM#US exports, was effectively banned in 1974 for not meeting U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) bumper height regulations. In 2015, the Spanish National Commission on Markets and Competition fined Automóviles Citroën España, S.A with over 14 million euros because it operated a cartel with other car builders and sellers controlling 91% of the Spanish market between 2006 and 2013. They shared information about sales and repairs anti-competitively. In 2016, Peugeot–Citroën South Africa (PCSA) announced that it was going to stop importing new Citroën models into South Africa in order to focus on increasing Peugeot's sales in the country. In May 2019, it was reported that PCSA would re-introduce the Citroën brand into South Africa, this was later confirmed by PCSA, in August 2019, that new Citroën models will go on sale in the middle of October 2019.


Recent decades

From 2003 to 2010, Citroën produced the Citroën C3, C3 Pluriel, an unusual convertible with allusions to the 1948–1990 2CV model, both in body style (such as the bonnet) and in its all-round practicality. In 2001 it celebrated its history of innovation when it opened a museum of its many significant vehicles: the Conservatoire with 300 cars. In line with the severe decline in European car sales after 2009, worldwide sales of vehicles declined from 1,460,373 in 2010 to 1,435,688 in 2011, with 961,156 of these sold in Europe. In 2011, the PSA Group was close to forming a partnership with BMW, for the development of electric and hybrid vehicles, but the talks fell through, shortly after Groupe PSA, Citroën's parent company, had announced a partnership with GM, which later also failed. Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën continues growing, and has developed eight new car designs exclusively for the China market. By 2016 Citroën (and
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
) faced the same challenge as Volkswagen in China: there were too many sedan (automobile), sedans and hatchbacks, but not enough models in the strong selling SUV and minivan/MPV categories. The brand ranked highest in the 2014 customer satisfaction survey by JD Power in China, above luxury brands like
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
and BMW, and above mass market brands, like Volkswagen, ranking only thirteenth and seventeenth respectively. In the first ten months of 2014 in China, the sales of Dongfeng Citroën cars increased by 30% in an overall market growth of 11%. Despite the near-death financial experience of
PSA Peugeot Citroën Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...
in 2014, and financial rescue by Dongfeng Motors, the Citroën and DS brands worked to develop new technologies with the hope to grow 15% by 2020, according to Citroën CEO Linda Jackson and DS CEO Yves Bonnefont. In the end sales of the Citroën and DS brands in Europe and China fell by 22% by 2019, and fell even further during the 2020 COVID outbreak. In January 2020, Linda Jackson (businesswoman), Linda Jackson was succeeded as CEO of Citroën by the deputy CEO Vincent Cobée, and she would instead "lead a study to clarify and support brand differentiation within a brand portfolio". Citroën entered the Indian market in early 2021 with the launch of the Citroën C5 Aircross, C5 Aircross SUV manufactured at the Hindustan Motors Thiruvallur plant in Tamil Nadu, India.


DS brand

In early 2009, Citroën announced the development of the premium brand DS, for Different Spirit or Distinctive Series (although the reference to the historical Citroën DS is evident), to run in parallel to its mainstream cars. The slogan of the DS car marque is "Spirit of avant-garde". This new series of cars started early in 2010, with the DS 3, DS3, a small car based on the floorpan of the new C3. The DS 3, DS3 is based on the concept that preceded the Citroën C3, C3 Pluriel production model and the Citroën DS Inside concept car. The DS 3, DS3 is customisable with various roof colours contrasting with the body panels; it was named 2010 ''Car of the Year'' by ''Top Gear Magazine'', and was awarded best supermini four times in a row by the JD Power Satisfaction Survey UK and second most efficient supermini (Citroën DS3 1.6 e-HDi 115 Airdream : True MPG 63.0mpg) by ''What car ?'' behind the Citroën C3, C3. In 2013 the DS 3, DS3 was again the best-selling premium subcompact car, with 40% of the European market share, validating the business model of this product development. The DS series is deeply connected to Citroën, as the Citroën DS4, DS4 launched in 2010, is based on the 2008 Citroën Hypnos concept car and the Citroën DS5, DS5, which followed in 2015 being based on the 2005 DS 5#Citroën C-SportLounge, C-SportLounge concept car. The rear badge is a new DS logo rather than the familiar Citroën double chevron and all will have markedly different styling from their equivalent sister cars. Citroën has produced several dramatic looking concept sports cars of late, with the fully working Citroën Survolt being badged as a DS. Indeed, the 2014 DS Divine concept car develops the Citroën Survolt prototype as the future sport coupé of the DS range. In China, Citroën has standalone DS showrooms, as well as entire plants built specifically for the production of these vehicles. Since 2014 Citroën has sold the Chinese-built DS 5LS and DS 6WR in China.


Advertising

Citroën was the first to write in the sky with an airplane. On 4 October 1922, during the opening of the Auto Show, a plane traced the word "Citroën" in smoke letters across the Paris sky. The firm also contracted Jean Giraud to launch a promotion comic strip for its sales force, several years before 1987.


Awards

Citroën was recognised in the 1999
Car of the Century The Car of the Century (COTC) is an international award that was given to the world's most influential car of the 20th century. The election process was overseen by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation. The winner, the Ford Model T, was annou ...
competition as producing the third most influential car of the 20th century, the Citroën DS, behind the
Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...
and BMC Mini. Citroën has produced three winners of the 50-year-old
European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising media of the award are '' Auto'' (Italy), '' Aut ...
award, and many rated second or third place. Citroën has produced one winner of the United States Motor Trend Car of the Year, ''Motor Trend'' Car of the Year award – the original Car of the Year designation, which began in 1949. This was especially significant because this award used to be only given to cars designed and built in the United States. Citroën has produced eight ''Auto Europa'' winners in 28 years, since 1987. ''Auto Europa'' is the prize awarded by the jury of the Italian Union of Automotive Journalists (UIGA), which annually celebrates the best car produced at least at 10,000 units in the 27 countries of the European Union: Citroën XM (1990), Citroën ZX (1992), Citroën Xantia (1994), Citroën Xsara Picasso (2001), Citroën C5 (2002), Citroën C3 (2003), Citroën C4 (2005) and Citroën DS4 (2012). In 2023, Citroën won the 'Sustainability Initiative Award' of the year at the Auto Trader New Cars Awards 2023.


Motorsport

Citroën Racing, previously known as Citroën Sport and before that as Citroën Competitions, is the division responsible for Citroën's own sporting activities. It is a successful winning competitor in the World Rally Championship and in the World Touring Car Championship. In 2019, Citroën announced its withdrawal from the World Rally Championship (WRC).


Early rally wins for Citroën vehicles

Citroën vehicles were entered in endurance Rallying, rally driving events beginning in 1956, with the introduction of the DS. The brand was successful and won many key events over a decades long period, with what was essentially the same production car design.


Racing the 2CV

Citroën discovered that while racing the uniquely slow 2CV against other cars made little sense, they could be interesting to watch racing against each other. Citroën Competitions sponsored three long distance competitions – Paris-Kaboul-Paris in 1970, Paris-Persepolis-Paris in 1972, and Raid Afrique in 1973. Enthusiasts carried on the tradition with ''2CV Cross'' – a group of 2CV's racing around a dirt track – a sport that continues today.


Rebuilding the competition group

The Citroën Competitions division was impacted negatively by the firm's 1974 bankruptcy. Competitive rallying was also changing – away from standard production cars to specially developed low volume models. In response to the entry of the competitive short wheel base Group B 4 wheel drive Audi Quattro into rallying, Citroën developed the heavily modified Group B Citroën BX#4TC, Citroën BX 4TC in 1986 World Rally Championship season, 1986. The team returned successfully with the Citroën ZX Rally Raid to win the Rally Raid Manufacturer's Championship five times (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997) with Pierre Lartigue and Ari Vatanen. Citroën Racing won the Dakar Rally four times, in 1991, continuing the serial of four victories of Peugeot#Motorsport, Peugeot sport, and then again in 1994, 1995, and 1996. From 2001, the Citroën Racing team returned successfully to the World Rally Championship, winning eight times the List of World Rally Championship Constructors' Champions, Manufacturer's Title, continuing the serial of three WRC Championships victories of Peugeot#Motorsport, Peugeot sport, in 2003 World Rally Championship season, 2003, 2004 World Rally Championship season, 2004, 2005 World Rally Championship season, 2005, 2008 World Rally Championship season, 2008, 2009 World Rally Championship season, 2009, 2010 World Rally Championship season, 2010, 2011 World Rally Championship season, 2011 and 2012 World Rally Championship season, 2012. The Citroën World Rally Team, Citroën WRC Team pilot Sébastien Loeb also won nine List of World Rally Championship Drivers' Champions, Drivers' Championships. In 2004, 2005, and 2006 World Rally Championship season, 2006, the French pilot won the List of World Rally Championship Drivers' Champions, Drivers' Championship, driving the Citroën Xsara, Citroën Xsara WRC, in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 with the Citroën C4, Citroën C4 WRC, and in 2011 and 2012 with the new Citroën DS3, Citroën DS3 WRC. The Citroën World Rally Team has a record of 97 victories in the World Rally Championship.


New competition division for touring cars

In 2012, Citroën announced plans to enter the World Touring Car Championship. The team transformed a Citroën DS3 WRC, DS3 WRC into a laboratory vehicle to help with early development, while the engine was an evolution of their WRC engine which had been used in the WRC since 2011. Citroën started developing the car for the new TC1 regulations, which were brought forward a year early in 2014 to expedite the entry of Citroën into the championship. The introduction of the new regulations a year earlier than planned gave a seven-month development headstart to Citroën over the other manufacturers. This large development advantage combined with a big budget and a strong driver line-up made Citroën the clear favourite going into the first season of the new regulations in 2014. Citroën would go on to win most of the races that season as well as the manufacturers' title, while José María López won the drivers' title. The team would repeat this feat in 2015 and 2016, before the factory team left the series at the end of 2016. A number of Citroëns were still raced by other teams in 2017, but were outpaced by the Hondas and the Volvos.


Concept cars

Citroën has produced numerous concept cars over the decades, previewing future design trends or technologies. Notable concepts include the Citroën Karin (1980), Citroën Activa (1988), Citroën C-Métisse (2006), GT by Citroën (2008) and Citroën Survolt (2010).


Logo

The origin of the logo may be traced back to a trip made by the 22-year-old André Citroën to the city of Łódź in Poland, where he discovered an innovative design for a Chevron (insignia), chevron-shaped gear used in Milling (grinding), milling. He bought the patent for its application in steel. Mechanically a gear with helix, helical teeth produces an axial force. By adding a second helical gear in opposition, this force is cancelled. The two chevron (insignia), chevrons of the logo represent the intermeshing contact of the two. Early Citroën cars used a herringbone bevel gear final drive in the rear axle. The presentation of the logo has evolved over time. Before the war, it was rendered in yellow on a blue background. After the war, the chevrons became more subtle Herringbone pattern, herringbones, usually on a white background. With the company searching for a new image during the 1980s, the logo became white on red to give an impression of dynamism. On 5 February 2009, Citroën launched a new brand identity to celebrate its 90th anniversary, replacing the 1985 design. The new logo was a 3D metallic variation of the double chevron logo accompanied by a new font for the Citroën name and the new slogan "Créative Technologie". A TV campaign reminiscing over of Citroën was commissioned to announce the new identity to the public. In October 2016, Citroën released an alternative version of its logo in 2D, adopting the flat design style, which was very popular at the time. In 2022, the brand unveiled a new badge design which is a modern-day representation of its original 1919 logo, returning the oval shape to the two chevrons.


Logo evolution

Citroën logos through the history: File:Logo-citroen-1919.png , 1919–1921 File:Citroen Logo 1919-1932.jpg , 1921–1932 File:Citroen swan logo.png , 1932–1936 File:Logo-1936-1959.png , 1936–1959 File:Logo.citroen.1960.png , 1959–1966 File:Citroen-1959.png , 1966–1985 File:Citroën Logo.svg , 1985–2009 File:Logo-citroen.jpg , 2005–2012 (badge) File:Citroen-logo-2009.png , 2009–2016 File:Citroen 2016 logo.svg , 2016–2022 File:Citro%C3%ABn_2021.svg , 2021–2022 (alternative logo) File:Citroen 2022.svg , 2022–present


Factories

*Argentina (El Palomar, Buenos Aires, El Palomar): C4 Lounge (2013–2021), Berlingo *Brazil (Porto Real): C4 Cactus, C3 *France (Stellantis Mulhouse Plant, Mulhouse): DS 4 (2010–2018), DS 7 *France (Stellantis Poissy Plant, Poissy): DS 3 *France (Stellantis Rennes Plant, Rennes): C5 Aircross *France (Stellantis Sochaux Plant, Sochaux): DS 5 (2011-2018) *Portugal (Stellantis Mangualde Plant, Mangualde): Berlingo *Slovakia (Stellantis Trnava Plant, Trnava): C3 *Spain (Madrid): C4 Cactus *Spain (Opel Zaragoza): C3 Aircross *Spain (Stellantis Vigo Plant, Vigo): Berlingo First, Berlingo, Xsara Picasso, C4 Picasso / C4 Grand Picasso, C-Elysee *Turkey (Tofaş Bursa): Nemo (2007-2017) Some joint venture models are manufactured in third party or joint venture factories, including the following: *China (Shenzhen), Chang'an Automobile Group, Chang'an PSA joint venture: DS 5LS and DS 6WR *China (Wuhan), Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile joint venture: C-Elysee, C3 L, Xsara Picasso, C4 L, C5 *Czech Republic (Kolín), Toyota/PSA joint venture: C1 *France (Valenciennes), PSA/Fiat joint venture Sevel Nord: Jumpy/Dispatch *India (Tiruvallur), PSA/CK Birla Group joint venture: C3, C3 Aircross, C5 Aircross, Basalt *Indonesia (Purwakarta Regency, Purwakarta): ë-C3 *Italy (Val di Sangro), PSA/Fiat joint venture Sevel Sud: Jumper/Relay *Japan (Kurashiki, Okayama, Mizushima), Mitsubishi Motors plant: C-Zero *Russia (Kaluga), PSA/Mitsubishi joint venture: C4, C-Crosser *Iran
Kashan
, SAIPA Citroën JV: C3, C3xr, C4 *Turkey (Karsan): Berlingo


International markets


Australia

Having been present in Australia since 1923, Citroën has been the country's longest continuously-running car manufacturer. However, the brand announced in August 2024 that it would stop taking orders in Australia by 1 November 2024 due to slow sales.


Current product lineup


Citroën

File:Citroën C3 (4th generation) DSC 7103.jpg, Citroën C3, Citroën C3 IV File:Citroën C3 Aircross (2024) Auto Zuerich 2024 DSC 6107.jpg, Citroën C3 Aircross, Citroën C3 Aircross III File:2025 Citroën C4 Auto Zuerich 2024 DSC 6108.jpg, Citroën C4 File:Citroen C5 X PHEV 1X7A0152.jpg, Citroën C5 X File:2022_Citroen_C5_Aircross.jpg, Citroën C5 Aircross File:Citroën Berlingo M BlueHDi 130 EAT8 Max XTR (III, Facelift) – f 07072024.jpg, Citroën Berlingo File:2024 Citroën ë-Jumpy Automesse Ludwigsburg 2024 IMG 1391.jpg, Citroën Jumpy


DS line

File:DS3 Crossback E-Tense, Paris Motor Show 2018, IMG 0697.jpg, DS 3 File:DS 4 E-Tense (2021) Auto Zuerich 2021 IMG 0542.jpg, DS 4 File:DS, Paris Motor Show 2018, Paris (1Y7A1419).jpg, DS 7 Crossback, DS 7 File:DS N°8.jpg, DS N°8 File:DS 9 E-Tense Auto Zuerich 2021 IMG 0396.jpg, DS 9


Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën (joint venture)

File:Citroen C5X 001.jpg, Citroën C5, Citroën C5 X File:C5aircross.jpg, Citroën C5 Aircross


See also

*List of automobile manufacturers of France *List of companies of France *Lane departure warning system


Notes


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

*
Citroën Origins
(historical models) {{DEFAULTSORT:Citroen Citroën, 1919 establishments in France Car manufacturers of France Truck manufacturers of France Bus manufacturers of France Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Electric vehicle manufacturers of France Stellantis French brands Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1919 French companies established in 1919 Car brands