Introduction

Part of the PSA Peugeot Citroen Group, the French car manufacturing major Citroen has the reputation for being the first mass production car company outside the USA. Its rich history, dating back to 1919, tells the story of its amazing growth when it became the largest European car manufacturer and the 4th largest in the world in a span of 8 years since its inception! Among the factors that contributed to this phenomenal pace of growth are its innovation and revolutionary engineering. In fact, PSA Peugeot Citroen recorded a year of bumper sales in 2010, with sales of over 3.13 million units of assembled vehicles.

Founded by André Citroën in 1905 who had started with a company called André Citroën & Cie, Citroën came into existence in the year 1919 with the launch of the first automobile, a Type A model, under its brand. The automobile was equipped with a four-cylinder engine and a capacity of 1326 cubic centimeters. Within two years, the first Citroën taxis hit the roads of Paris and became a talking point of the Paris Motor Show. The car, then available only in a distinctive lemon yellow colour, was made available to the public in 1922. 

Fast forward to the 1970s, when Citroen was hit by hard times like several other car manufacturers. Another French car giant Peugeot came to the company’s rescue, taking a 38.2% stake in the company in 1974. Within two years, Peugeot had expanded its shareholding to 90%; the resultant entity came to be known as PSA Peugeot Citroën.

Citroën has several notable firsts to its credit particularly in the areas of technological and engineering innovation, some of which are listed below:

• First mass-production car company outside the US
• Produced B-10, Europe’s first all-steel-bodied car in 1924.
• In 1934, Citroën manufactured Traction Avant, the first mass-produced front-wheel drive car in the world. It was also one of the first cars to feature monocoque-type body.
• Produced the first hydro-pneumatic self-leveling suspension system in 1954.
• Produced the Citroën DS in 1955, the first European made car with disc brakes.