Citroen
Citroen was one of the world’s first mass production manufacturers in the world outside of the United States. Andre Citroen, the company’s founder, originally built armaments for France in World War I. After the war, Citroen had factory and no product. This led to the production of automobiles.
In 1919, Andre Citroen founded the automobile manufacturing company named after him. Citroen is credited with producing the first front wheel drive vehicle, the Citroen Traction Avant in 1934. A year earlier Citroen introduced the Rosalie, which was the first commercially available passenger car with a diesel engine.
In 1934, ownership of the company was taken by one of the company’s biggest creditors, Michelin. Fourteen years later, in 1948, the 2CV was unveiled. The 2CV was produced until 1990 and was very popular in French cities. Citroen vehicles won European Car of the Year for three years; 1971, 1975, and 1990. In 1972, a Citroen vehicle won the USA Car of the Year award. Citroen and Peugeot merged in 1974 becoming PSA Citroen Peugeot. Citroen is a worldwide brand except in North America since 1974 when the SM was banned because it did not meet bumper regulations.
In 2003 it was reported that PSA Citroen Peugeot sold well over a million citroen cars across several countries. It was announced in 2009 that the company would be developing a luxury brand called DS. You can expect more good things to come from this manufacturer. Although the newer brand is currently not sold in North America, the classic vehicles can be found throughout Europe as well as North America. They are considered legendary for their design and are highly coveted among collectors. |