Beginning. The history of the Citroën car manufacturer started in 1919. However, its roots date back to 1904 when André Citroën established the Engrenages Citroën company, which manufactured gear wheels. Soon, gear-wheel transmissions manufactured by the company were installed in most French cars. Citroën gear wheels were also bought by Rolls-Royce for its cars. On 28 May 1919, the production of the first Citroën Type A was started. The car's debut was accompanied by a mass advertising campaign, and over 16,000 orders were placed in a two-week period, which was a tremendous success.
Development. While talking about Citroën cars, we cannot omit a note about Poland. The company's assembly shop was opened in Warsaw; it was the third such facility outside France. It occupied a surface area of over 7000 square metres and was opened in January 1930. It produced passenger cars of type C4 and C6 with a closed body style. Polish materials were partly used. During a prosperous period, 1000 to 2400 cars were assembled, according to various sources. Already by 1932, after signing a licensing agreement with Fiat, the Warsaw Citroën branch limited the scope of its activities and it was closed two years later due to the crisis. The end of the 1940s and the 1950s were a period of rapid development for the make. In 1949, the production of 2CV (the popular "duck") with a two-cylinder engine was started. It was only withdrawn from production in 1990. In 1995, the DS model was presented at the Paris Fair. It was a shock. On the first day, 12,000 orders for this car were accepted. In 1970, as many as 103,000 DS cars were manufactured, and nearly one and a half million DS cars were manufactured throughout its production period. In 1974, Citroën and Peugeot created a group — PSA. Since that time, elements of both makes have been shared (engines, transmission systems, floorpans).
Contribution to the automotive industry. Citroen has introduced numerous new technologies, such as the first steel body, hydropneumatic suspension, and the serial assembly line.
Present. At the beginning of this century, the C5 model was launched, which turned out to be controversial, due to its conservative appearance. Later, the C3 model was launched, which won over drivers’ hearts with its shapely appearance. The C8, C2, C1, C4 and C6 followed. In addition to passenger cars, this brand has also manufactured light commercial vehicles.
Contribution to the automotive industry. The DS model manufactured in 1955 was equipped with disc brakes, semi-automatic transmission, hydropneumatic suspension and a big, 500-litre trunk. These were innovative solutions for the time.
Trivia. The company focused on the quality and durability of its cars. In 1933, a car was randomly selected at the assembly line and during 133 days it travelled 300,000 kilometres at a constant speed of 93 km/h. A Citroën transmission system was used in the rudder of the largest ship of that time — the Titanic. The DS model was used in the "Fantomas Returns" film in 1967. It played the role of a car with a hidden jet plane, which made it possible for Fantomas to escape.
Popular models: Citroen C1, Citroen C3, Citroen C4, Citroen C4 Picasso, C5, Citroen C6, Citroen C8
Tyres. The majority of Citroen cars come equipped with Michelin tyres. The new C3 and DS3 cars will be an exception here, as they will be equipped with Bridgestone tyres on a standard basis (Bridgestone Turanza ER300 and Bridgestone RE050A tyres, respectively). Citroen, the owner of several dozen car models, uses a very wide range of tyre sizes in its cars. The most popular sizes include: 175/65 R14, 185/65 R14, 195/65 R15, 85/60 R15, 195/60 R15, 205/55 R16 and 215/55 R16.