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During
the German occupation of France in World War II, Citroën
researchers continued their work in secret and developed
the concepts that were later brought to market in
the 2CV and DS. These were widely regarded by contemporary
journalists as avant garde, even radical, solutions
to automotive design.
This began a period of unusual brand loyalty, normally
seen in the automobile industry only in niche brands,
like Porsche and Ferrari. The cult-like appeal of
the cars to Citroënistes took almost two decades
to fade, from 1975 to about 1995.
Citroën unveiled the 2CV (2 fiscal horsepower,
initially only 12 HP) at the Paris Salon in 1948.
The car became a bestseller, achieving the designer's
aim of providing rural French people with a motorized
alternative to the horse. This car remained in production,
with only minor changes, until 1990 and was a common
sight on French roads until recently.
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Citroën
is a French car manufacturer, founded in 1919 by André
Citroën.
Originally a mass-market carmaker with relatively straightforward
designs, Citroën shocked the world in 1934 with
the innovative Traction Avant, the world's first mass-production
front wheel drive car. Since then Citroën has become
known for it's innovation and distinctive design; it
was a pioneer of automobile aerodynamics and one of
the first manufacturers to adopt all steel bodywork.
More recently the use of hydropneumatic self-levelling
suspension in the SM, GS, CX, BX, XM, and Xantia added
to Citroën's reputation for producing cars with
excellent ride quality.
Financial problems in the 1970s led to the merger of
Citroën with Peugeot into the holding company PSA
Peugeot Citroën. During the late 1980s and early
1990s PSA's efforts to rebrand the marque as an economy
brand led to the gradual erosion of Citroën's ambitious
attitude to engineering and styling. Citroens more recent
models such as the Pluriel, C2, C4, and C6 however have
seen a return to the innovative ethos of the marque.
Miscellaneous
Citroën facts:
" Citroën is a major competitor in the World
Rally Championship, winning the constructor title
in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2004, 2005, and 2006, French
driver Sébastien Loeb won the Drivers' Championship
driving the Citroën Xsara WRC. In 2007, Sébastien
Loeb won the Drivers Title again, but this time in
a Citroën C4. Citroën narrowly missed out
on the Constructors title again in 2007, like in 2006.
" Citroën vehicles are well known for their
longevity - many CX models have travelled over 400,000
kilometers.
" The Iconic Citroën DS celebrated its 50th
birthday in 2005 with over 2000 DSs, covering every
year of production from 1955 to 1975, driving in convoy
through the streets of Paris. One car travelled from
Australia for the event.
" Beginning in 1955, Citroën began to use
a steering wheel with only one spoke.
" Citroën's originally Dutch family name
was Citroen, meaning "lemon," as one of
his grandfathers was a citrus seller in Amsterdam's
street markets. An old-fashioned nickname for Citroën
cars is "Citron" (lemon in French).
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