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History of the Citroen brand

Andre Citroen (Andre Citroen) – a talented French engineer and original businessman founded his automobile company in 1919. The company’s famous inverted “V” emblem, dubbed the “double chevron”, was created by Citroen to celebrate its success in manufacturing gears. The firstborn of the company – the Tour A car, was born in 1919, has a modest price and develops a speed of 60 km per hour. For the first time in Europe, an electric starter was installed on this car.

The small Citroen 5 CV that appeared then had a 4-cylinder engine, was highly reliable and well suited for rural roads. Citroen’s original goal of making cars easy to use and low cost played a major role in the company’s growth. Citroen began producing cars for city taxis in 1921, and already in 1930, Parisian taxis were completely made up of the company’s models. In 1949, the famous Citroen 2СV rolled off the assembly line of the company, which became a symbol of the restoration of France after the war. Citroen DS19, which appeared in 1955, was popularly called the “Goddess”, as it had an excellent exterior design and a perfect interior.

The car was supplied with a 4-cylinder engine, was distinguished by a smooth hood, and there was no radiator grill on it.

The Citroen DS19 was equipped with power steering and braking systems, and there was also a hydropneumatic suspension for adjusting the height of the car body. The Citroen DS19 model was a huge success, which no other car of the company had. After the first day of the Citroen DS19 show, more than 12,000 purchase orders were made. In 1974, the company merged with Peugeot, the PSA Peugeot Citroen group was created, while Citroen cars begin to lose their bright individuality.

The revival of Citroen begins in 1997, when Jean-Martin Foltz comes to the post of general director of the company. This man directed all his efforts to the development of new models, while the main emphasis was on design. The results were not long in coming, Citroen cars get a second wind, their unique style has become a hallmark for many years.

In 2000, the brand overcame the sales bar of 1 million cars, which became a landmark event in its history. In 2001, the authoritative Forbes magazine awarded the head of Citroen, Jean-Martin Foltz, the title of “businessman of the year.” In the same year, the company releases the Citroen C5 – this mid-size liftback replaced the outdated Xantia model on the assembly line. Over the next few years, the company updates its lineup. In 2005, at the Geneva Motor Show, Citroen presented its flagship C6, the serial production of this hatchback was launched a year later.

The year 2007 was marked by the appearance of the company’s first all-terrain vehicle – the C-Crosser was created in collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors. In 2009, the PSA concern concludes an agreement with Mitsubishi on the establishment of a joint venture LLC PSMA RUS. At the same time, Citroen is showing the world public a new line of premium DS cars. In 2014, DS is separated into an independent brand.