Citroen – Technical Specifications 1934–2024

André Citroën founded the company in 1919 in Paris, France. Not a car guy, really. He was an engineer obsessed with mass production — specifically, he'd learned the assembly line technique from Henry Ford in Detroit and became convinced he could apply it to French manufacturing. So he built a factory on the Quai de Javel and started with the 2CV concept in mind, though the actual car wouldn't arrive until 1948. Why start with a car company? Because he saw an opportunity nobody else did — the ability to build affordable vehicles for ordinary people. Changed everything.

The early years were rough. Citroën's first model, the Type A, launched in 1919 and sold remarkably well — over 30,000 units in the first five years. But the company burned through capital like fuel. Ambitious expansion, risky financial bets, and André's obsession with technological novelty meant constant spending. By 1934, the company was bankrupt. André died in 1935, devastated by the collapse. Michelin took over. They brought stability — and a completely different philosophy.

Then came the 2CV in 1948. Pure genius. It was deliberately primitive — a canvas roof, minimal electrics, four-speed transmission with a single reverse gear. Sound crazy? It worked perfectly. The brief was simple: build a car that could carry two farmers, a crate of eggs, and a sack of potatoes across muddy French countryside without breaking anything. Citroën delivered exactly that. The 2CV became a cultural icon — over 3.8 million built across 42 years. Not bad for a car designed to be worthless in every conventional sense.

Innovation kept flowing through the 1950s and 1960s. The DS arrived in 1955 and absolutely shattered expectations. Hydropneumatic suspension. Aerodynamic body. Power steering. Front-wheel drive. Nobody — and I mean nobody — was doing this combination in the mid-1950s. The DS looked like it came from the future. It was so ahead of its time that competitors spent the next two decades trying to catch up. Meanwhile, Citroën entered motorsport and won the Monte Carlo Rally repeatedly. The CX followed in 1974, continuing the tradition of radical design.

The modern era brought struggles and reinvention. Peugeot acquired Citroën in 1976, which meant lost independence but gained financial security. The BX, XM, and C6 showed Citroën could still innovate. Today, the brand is pushing electric with models like the AMI and expanding its lineup with practical vehicles like the C3 Aircross and C5 X. Explore Citroën's electric lineup representing the company's modern direction. A century later, Citroën still chases the same dream André had — making smart cars for regular people.