Citroën

Automobiles CITROËN
Company typeSubsidiary of Stellantis
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1919
FounderAndré Citroën
HeadquartersSaint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Key people
Carlos Tavares, CEO Stellantis
Thierry Koskas, CEO Citroën
ProductsAutomobiles
Production output
1,302,900 (2009)
Number of employees
13,900
ParentStellantis
WebsiteCitroën.com
The Citroën Traction Avant, a classic car of the 1940s
Citroën Revolte Concept

Citroën is automobile manufacturer based in France. André-Gustave Citroën started the company in 1919 and it became the first mass-production automobile company outside the USA. Citroën was the first to create a sales and services network that goes with the automobile. 1919

Innovations

Citroën were innovators in automobile design. Their Traction Avant (pictured) had the first mass production of three revolutionary features that are still in use today. They are: a unitary body with no separate frame, four-wheel independent suspension, and front-wheel drive.

Later on, in the 1950s, Citroën developed a remarkable type of suspension. A high-pressure hydraulic system was used in over 9 million Citroën cars. They included the DS, SM, GS, CX, BX, XM, Xantia, C5, and C6. Self-levelling is the principal benefit – the car kept a constant ride height above the road. It adjusted to the passenger and cargo load, and gave a very soft suspension. This type of suspension smooths out road irregularities without disturbing the occupants. It is often compared to riding on a 'magic carpet' for this reason.

Models

Citroën

DS line

Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën (joint venture)

References

  1. ↑ "Saint-Ouen retrouve son fleuve, la Seine Archived 2008-09-30 at the Wayback Machine." l'Humanité. 28 October 2006. Retrieved on 3 February 2010. "La mort lente des petites entreprises, la délocalisation des plus importantes ont transformé Saint-Ouen. Il ne reste en centre-ville que l’usine Citroën.."
  2. ↑ "PSA Peugeot Citroën - Key Figures". Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  3. ↑ "The Company". citroen.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-11. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
  4. ↑ "NSN". Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  5. ↑ "Citroënmania.com". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  6. ↑ http://www.autotraderclassics.com/car-article/Topless+Goddess+_+Citroen+DS+Décapotable-44136.xhtml
  7. ↑ "Citroen XM (1989 - 2000)". Honest John.