Greater Wellington Citroën Car Club Inc

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CITROËN

André Citroën

In 1913 Andre Citroën (1878-1935) founded a gear making company called Societe des Engrenages Citroen. The chevron-shaped teeth of the gears were to become the emblem of the Marque. Citroen is a marque of vision, a source of innovations unanimously acclaimed through the century. Models such as the Traction Avant, the 2CV and the DS have become part of motoring history. Inventions such as the Traction Avant front-wheel drive and hydropneumatic suspension revolutionised the automotive industry. But technology is not all. Under the leadership of Andre Citroen, the double chevrons made their mark in many other areas, introducing practices that have since become commonplace. An entrepreneur of vision, Andre Citroen also had a taste for the spectacular. Between 1925 and 1934, he lit up the Eiffel Tower with the word Citroen. No showcase was too good for Citroen. Some of the avant-garde showrooms of the 1920's have since become historical monuments.

Andre Citroen

In 1931, 14 half-track vehicles and 43 people travelled 12,000 km from Beirut to Beijing through the Himalayas, the Gobi desert and also through China, which was in the throes of revolution. The adventure lasted eleven months. This was the celebrated Croisiere Juaune. In 1934, the bold design of the first Traction Avant revolutionised the automotive world, setting new standards in road holding and safety. In 1948 the 2CV was launched and remained in production until 1990. In 1955 the DS was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show and was an immediate success with 12,000 orders taken on the first day. The car heralded a number of technical breakthroughs like hydraulic suspension, power steering, and hydraulic high-pressure braking, disc brakes and a semi-automatic gearbox. The vehicle remained in production for twenty years and was recently voted third in car of the century. From General de Gaulle's prized DS, to the car blessed by Pope John-Paul XXIII, and the Presidential SM with bodywork by Chapron, Citroen has always been an exceptional marque.

Source: Double Chevron- Automobiles Citroen International News Magazine

Some notable events in the Citroen production calendar:

MODEL	YEAR	TO	UNITS	COMMENTS
Type A	1919	1921	24,093	The first European car to be mass produced
5CV	1922	1926	80,759	Also known as the cloverleaf because of the seat layout
C6	1928	1934	165,056	Top of the Range. The first six cylinder
Traction Avant	1934	1957	759,123	Stands for front wheel drive. Includes Light 15 and Big 15
2CV (deux chevaux)	1948	1990	3,872,583	Dubbed the minimum vehicle project, but called many a name like the Tin Snail, etc. Sold as new in NZ from 1985.
Dyane	1967	1983	1,443,583	An upgraded version of the 2CV with 602cc air-cooled flat-twin engine.
D Series	1955	1975	1,456,115	An object may be considered perfect when it is a source of constant joy for the eye, the hand, the voice, and the memory. - such is the D.
GS	1970	1981	1,896,742	Air cooled flat four motor with hydro pneumatic suspension
SM	1970	1975	12,920	Exotic two door offering exceptional levels of performance, powered by V6 Maserati engine.
CX	1974	1989	1,042,460	Car of the Year upon launch. Boosted by 2.5 turbo motor in later life saw its unique and aggressive looks promoted in advertising by Grace Jones, which subsequently was banned because it highlighted excessive speed.
GSA	1979	1985	476,757	Refined GS with five speed gear box and 1299cc engine
BX	1982	1993	2,316,234	The plastic fantastic. A great commercial success.
AX	1986	1995	1,930,197	Driven along the Great Wall of China to celebrate its launch
XM	1989	2000	256,061+	Car of the Year upon launch. Computerised Hydractive suspension. Built for the luxury market.
ZX	1991	1997	721,992	Won Writers Guild Car of the Year in NZ. Invented the self-steering rear axle. (unit figures to end '95)
Xantia	1993	2000	250,000+	Replacement for the BX. Also available in NZ with new HDi hi tech diesel motor.
Evasion	1995	current	Unknown	People carrier. Low volume seller in NZ. (mostly ex Malaysia)
Saxo	1996	current	900,000+	Replacement for the AX. Well equipped, reliable low maintenance vehicle with attractive pricing.
Xsara	1997	current	unknown	Replacement for the ZX. Launched by top model Claudia Schiffer. Available in NZ as 2 door coupe, 5 door hatch, and Estate, and also HDi hi-tech turbo diesel.
Xsara Picasso	1999	current	Unknown	The Mini people carrier introduced to NZ January 2001
C5	2000	current	Unknown	The new generation family car. New in NZ June 2001
C3	2001	new	nil	A new mini launched Sep 2001, expected in NZ June 2002

The UK Citroen Car Club web site has more extensive information on the history of the Marque.

Also for anyone interested in how hydro-pneumatic self-levelling suspension works, click here for some excellent animated graphics.

Contact us by clicking our email address here: gwccc@paradise.net.nz

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