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About Citroen
History
Early years
Andr Citron built armaments for France during World War I; after the war, however, unless he planned ahead he knew he would have a modern factory without a product.[10] There was nothing automatic about the decision to become an automobile manufacturer once the war was finished, but the auto-business was one that Citron knew well, thanks to a successful six year stint working with Mors between 1908 and the outbreak of war.[10] The decision to switch to automobile manufacturing was evidently taken as early as 1916 which is when Citron asked the engineer Louis Dufresne, previously with Panhard, to design a technically sophisticated 18HP automobile for which he could use his factory once peace broke out.[10] Long before that happened, however, he had modified his vision, and decided, (like Henry Ford), that the best post war opportunities in auto-making would involve a lighter car of good quality, but made in sufficient quantities to be priced enticingly.[10] In February 1917 Citron contacted another engineer, Jules Salomon, who already had a considerable reputation within the French automotive sector as the creator, in 1909, of a little car called Le Zbre.[10] Andr Citron's mandate was characteristically demanding and characteristically simple: to produce an all-new design for a 10 HP car that would be better equipped, more robust and less costly to produce than any rival product at the time.[10] The result was the Type A, announced to the press, just four months after the guns fell silent, in March 1919.[10] The first "production" Type A emerged from the factory at the end of May, and in June it was exhibited at a show room in the Champs-lyses which normally sold Alda cars.[10] Citron persuaded the owner of the Alda business, Fernand Charron, to lend him the show-room (just as a few years later Charron would be persuaded to become a major investor in Citron business).[10] On 7 July 1919 the first customer took delivery of a new Citron 10HP "Type A".[10]
That same year, Andr Citron briefly negotiated with General Motors on a proposed sale of the Citron company to GM.[11] The deal nearly closed, but GM ultimately decided that its management and capital would be too overstretched by the takeover.[11] Citron thus remained independent till 1935.
Citron was a keen marketer—he used the Eiffel Tower as the world's largest advertising sign, as recorded in Guinness World Records.[12] He also sponsored expeditions in Asia (Croisire Jaune), North America, (Croisire Blanche) and Africa (Croisire Noire) intended to demonstrate the potential for motor vehicles equipped with the Kgresse track system to cross inhospitable regions. The expeditions conveyed scientists and journalists.
Demonstrating extraordinary toughness, a 1923 Citron that had already travelled 48,000 km (30,000 mi) was the first car to be driven around Australia. The car, a 1923 Citron 5CV Type C Torpedo, was driven by Neville Westwood from Perth, Western Australia, on a round trip from August to December 1925. The car is now fully restored and in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.[13]
In 1924, Citron began a business relationship with American engineer Edward G. Budd. From 1899, Budd had worked to develop stainless steel bodies for railroad cars, for the Pullman in particular. Budd went on to manufacture steel bodies for many automakers, Dodge being his first big auto client. At the Paris Motor Show in October 1924, Citron introduced the Citron B10, the first all-steel body in Europe.[6] The cars were initially successful in the marketplace, but soon competitors (who were still using a wooden structure for their bodies) introduced new body designs. Citron did not redesign the bodies of his cars. Citrons still sold in large quantities in spite of not changing the body design, but the car's low price was the main selling point and Citron experienced heavy losses.[citation needed]
In 1927, the bank Lazard helped Citroen by bringing new, much-needed funds as well as by renegotiating its debt—for example, by buying out the SOVAC. It went even further by entering in its capital and being represented at the board. The three directors sent by Lazard were Raymond Philippe, Andre Meyer, and Paul Frantzen.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, Citron developed the Traction Avant. The Traction Avant had three revolutionary features: a unitary body with no separate frame, front wheel independent suspension, and front wheel drive. Citron commissioned Budd to create a prototype, which evolved into the 7-horsepower (CV), 32 hp (24 kW) Traction Avant of 1934. In 1933, Citron also introduced the Rosalie, the first commercially available passenger car with a diesel engine, developed with Harry Ricardo.
Michelin era
Achieving quick development of the Traction Avant and its production facilities at the same time was too costly and overly ambitious, causing the financial ruin of the company. In December 1934, despite the assistance of the Michelin company, Citron filed for bankruptcy. Within the month, Michelin, already the car manufacturer's largest creditor, became in addition its principal shareholder. Fortunately for Michelin, the technologically advanced Traction Avant met with market acceptance, and the basic philosophy that had led to this design continued. Pierre Michelin became the chairman of Citron. Pierre-Jules Boulanger became the vice-president of Citron and chief of the engineering and design department. In 1935 Andr Citron died from stomach cancer.
Financial restructuring
In 1963, Citron negotiated with Peugeot to cooperate in the purchase of raw materials and equipment. Talks were broken off in 1965.
That year Citron took over the French carmaker Panhard in the hope of using Panhard's expertise in midsize cars to complement its own range of very small, cheap cars (e.g., 2CV/Ami) and large, expensive cars (e.g., DS/ID). Cooperation between the two companies had begun 12 years earlier, and they had agreed to a partial merger of their sales networks in 1953. Panhard ceased making vehicles in 1967.
Trade union problems
In the early 1980s Citron was targeted by union action.Events led to a mass demonstration in the streets of Paris on 25 May 1982. Approximately 27,000 Citron workers demonstrated in affirmation of their wish to work at a company which was being picketed by striking workers who had been blocking access to the factories for four weeks.[17] The demonstrations were successful and six days later work at the plants resumed. Jacques Lombard, one of the company’s senior managers, had gone public with his concerns criticising the strikes.
Taming the innovative/quirky spirit
PSA gradually diluted Citron's and Peugeot ambitious attitude to engineering and styling in an effort to rebrand the marque to appeal to a wider market. In the 1980s, Citron models became increasingly Peugeot-based, following the worldwide motor industry trend called "platform sharing." The 1982 BX used the hydropneumatic suspension system and still had a Citron-esque appearance, while being powered by Peugeot-derived engines and using the floorpan later seen on the Peugeot 405. By the late 1980s, many of the distinctive features of the marque had been removed or diluted—conventional Peugeot's switchgear replaced Citron's quirky but ergonomic "Lunule" designs, complete with self-cancelling indicators that Citron had previously refused to adopt on ergonomic grounds.
Geographical expansion
Citron expanded into many new geographic markets. In the late 1970s, the firm developed a small car for production in Romania known as the Oltcit, which it sold in Western Europe as the Citron Axel. That joint venture has ended, but a new one between PSA and Toyota is now producing cars like the Citron C1 in the Czech Republic.
