Citroen : A Potted History

The Early Years
André Citroën was an entrepreneur industrialist of the old school. After early successes with industrial gear manufacture and armaments production, he joined the Mors car company, and gained a taste for the automotive industry. After the end of WW1, he decided to set up a company of his own - and here our story starts. The first car to carry the Citroën name was the type A of 1919. It was the first true mass-produced European car and, unlike others of the period, came with electric lighting, starter and hood - It provided comfort at a price ordinary people could afford. It was a huge success. From this auspicious beginning further famous Citroëns emerged : the B2, B10 and 5cv (known as the cloverleaf). Citroëns became known for their reliability and strength - proven through expeditions such as being the first cars to cross the Sahara. André Citroën himself became well-known, as he took every opportunity to advertise his company, including hiring the Eiffel Tower and illuminating the Citroën name down the side! Amongst other innovations, Citroën instigated the first car distribution dealer network; the first local after-sales organisation and the first repair and spare parts catalogues.

The Horse before the Cart - Traction Avant
In 1934, Citroën shook the world with the first mass-produced front wheel drive car - the famous Traction Avant. It was low, smooth, streamlined; allowed very positive handling, and a safe comfortable ride - It took the world by storm! The vast majority of todays cars all owe Citroën an immense debt, through the pioneering of FWD. The Traction proved to be a fitting memorial to André Citroën, who tragically died shortly before the Traction became available, burdened by the development costs of this great gamble. The Traction went on to become one of the great success stories of this era, becoming synonymous with the Resistance in WW2, as well as pre- and post-war Parisian streets

An Umbrella on Four Wheels - 2CV
Not a company to let technology overtake it, Citroën wanted to produce a new light car everybody could afford. It had to be cheap to run, easy to repair, seat four adults in comfort, house a barrel of wine or a large sack of potatoes AND be able to cross a ploughed field without breaking any of the contents of a basket of freshly laid eggs. It was aimed at the rural french farmer, and must be easy to drive. It should, in other words, be “Four wheels under an umbrella”. The 2CV was born in 1948. As postwar France prospered, so a need for a more mature and refined small car became evident. The 2cv matured into the Ami, a strange looking car with agility, charm and character in quantity; and the Dyane - intended to replace the irreplacable 2cv. The timeless charm of the tin snail outlived them both, lasting until 1990.

The Goddess - DS Back to 1955
The 2CV was a success, De Gaulle’s France was almost recovered from the war, and the Traction Avant was aging. Citroën managed to repeat the Traction’s innovation, with the technological tour de force that was the DS (pronounced Déèse - the Goddess). It featured a semi-automatic gearbox, fully-powered disc brakes, powered steering and oleopneumatic suspension, which used gas and fluid as the springs. All of this was clothed in a highly aerodynamic body far in advance of anything else available for many years after. For those who preferred less complexity, the ID (Ideé - Idea) was available with manual steering and gears. So advanced was the DS that today, many other car makers cannot better it.

The Swinging ’70s - GS, SM & CX
During 1970, all other small “family” cars were instantly outdated with the release of the GS. Taking many of the larger DS’s technological breakthroughs (notably the suspension), and repackaging it into a small yet capacious aerodynamic shell, powered by a 1-litre aircooled flat four giving performance the equal of most cars half as big again, the GS became another long-lasting technological success for Citroën. 1970 also saw Citroën reveal the fruit of their ownership of the legendary Maserati - the SM. This luxurious grand-touring coupe, powered by a typically Italian quad-cam v6 caused a storm on release, with more technology packed into one car than ever before. All good things must end sometime, and so it was with the DS in 1974. The CX was revealed, questioning automotive conventions again, and bringing the effect of aerodynamics closer to the motoring public than ever before - even the name CX refers to the french initials for the co-efficient of drag. Using the fully-powered variably assisted steering from the SM, and a highly ergonomic yet individual cockpit layout, it was said of the CX that “after 10 minutes, you never want to drive one again. After an hour, you never want to drive anything else again.”

The Chevrons go from strength to strength - The PSA Group years
The development costs of the CX meant that the Citroën company fell into the hands of Peugeot in 1974, and Citroën gained a new set of priorities. The Visa, BX and AX ensued. These cars brought Citroën into the hands of a much wider audience, and the company has not looked back since. Today’s generation of Citroëns is just as forward thinking. The Saxo and ZX are inexpensive to run, economical, comfortable and reliable, bringing high quality and innovation to the value-conscious. Citroën’s Diesel engines lead the world in performance, economy and refinement. The Xantia and XM advance suspension design even further than ever before, culminating in the Xantia Activa’s computer controlled active anti roll system. Citroën are one of the leading manufacturers in many european markets, and have a more complete, more succesful range than the majority of their rivals. In the UK, Citroën are perhaps the most succesful marque of recent years, having grown (in both sales and market share) substantially at a time when the overall market has shrunk.