Paul-Marie Pons (24 June 1904 – 24 October 1966) was a French naval engineer who became a senior civil servant. He is remembered for the Pons Plan which restructured the French automotive industry in the second half of the 1940s.
88-581: Born in Longwy , département Meurthe et Moselle , Pons was educated at the prestigious École Polytechnique , then at Paris , (now at Palaiseau on the southern fringes of Paris). After this he pursued a successful career in engineering and management. In 1927 he married Michèlle Duchez; the marriage was childless. After the Second World War Pons was appointed to the Ministry of Industrial Production under
176-776: A "go slow" on production of trucks for the Wehrmacht , many of which were sabotaged at the factory by putting the notch on the oil dipstick in the wrong place, which resulted in engine seizure. In 1944 when the Gestapo headquarters in Paris was sacked by the French Resistance , his name was prominent on a Nazi blacklist of the most important enemies of the Reich, to be arrested in the event of an allied invasion of France. Citroën researchers, including Paul Magès , continued their work in secret, against
264-563: A 10 HP car that would be better equipped, more robust and less costly to produce than any rival product at the time. The result was the Type A , announced to the press in March 1919, just four months after the guns fell silent. The first production Type A emerged from the factory, located at Quai de Javel , Vaugirard , Paris , at the end of May 1919 and in June it was exhibited at a show room at Number 42, on
352-472: A 38.2% share of Citroën and on 9 April 1976 they increased their stake of the then bankrupt company to 89.95%, thus creating the PSA Group (where PSA is short for Peugeot Société Anonyme ), becoming PSA Peugeot Citroën . In May 1975 Maserati was sold to De Tomaso and the new Italian owner was thereby able to exploit the sales potential of the models and technology developed by Citroën, as well as to utilise
440-567: A First World War air reconnaissance photography specialist with the French Air Force ; he was capable and efficient and finished the war with the rank of captain. He was also courageous, having been decorated with the Military Cross and the Legion of Honour. He started working for Michelin in 1918, reporting directly to Édouard Michelin , co-director and founder of the business. Boulanger joined
528-450: A company, which was being picketed by striking workers who had been blocking access to the factories for four weeks. The demonstration was 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. PSA gradually diluted Citroën's ambitious, highly individualistic, and distinctive approach to engineering and styling. All through
616-558: A control valve, with actuating pistons in the gearbox cover to shift the gears in the transmission , and the clutch was operated automatically by the system, so there was no clutch pedal. From 1957 the ID19 model offered a simplified hydraulic system, with manual steering and conventional manual gearshift, and a significant price reduction. From 1968, with revised front end style, the DS also introduced auxiliary driving lights, that moved directionally with
704-693: A model in the profitable middle range of the European market, plus the massive development costs a string of new models: the GS , GS Birotor , CX , SM , Maserati Bora , Maserati Merak , Maserati Quattroporte II , and Maserati Khamsin . Each of these models is a technological marvel in its own right. Thus, forty years after the bankruptcy related to the Traction Avant , Citroën went bankrupt again, losing its existence as an independent entity; selling Berliet and Maserati and closing Comotor. Fearing large job losses due to
792-637: A museum of its many significant vehicles: the Conservatoire with 300 cars. In line with the severe decline in European car sales after 2009, worldwide sales of vehicles declined from 1,460,373 in 2010 to 1,435,688 in 2011, with 961,156 of these sold in Europe. In 2011, the PSA Group was close to forming a partnership with BMW, for the development of electric and hybrid vehicles, but the talks fell through, shortly after Groupe PSA, Citroën's parent company, had announced
880-731: A new one between PSA and Toyota is now producing cars like the Citroën C1 in the Czech Republic . The China joint venture began selling cars in 1984 and building them in 1994. The range of family cars there included the C3 and Xsara and locally designed cars like the Fukang and Elysée models. By 2014 the brand had increased its Chinese sales by 30%, amid overall market growth of 11%, and ranked highest in China's 2014 JD Power satisfaction survey. Citroën
968-457: A partnership with GM, which later also failed. Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën continues growing, and has developed eight new car designs exclusively for the China market. By 2016 Citroën (and Peugeot ) faced the same challenge as Volkswagen in China: there were too many sedans and hatchbacks , but not enough models in the strong selling SUV and minivan /MPV categories. The brand ranked highest in
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#17328951010721056-556: A round trip from August to December 1925. This vehicle is now fully restored and in the collection of the National Museum of Australia . In 1924, Citroën began a business relationship with the American engineer Edward G. Budd . From 1899, Budd had worked to develop stainless steel bodies for railroad cars, for Pullman in particular. Budd went on to manufacture steel bodies for many automakers, Dodge being his first big auto client. At
1144-634: A study to clarify and support brand differentiation within a brand portfolio". Citroën entered the Indian market in early 2021 with the launch of the C5 Aircross SUV manufactured at the Hindustan Motors Thiruvallur plant in Tamil Nadu , India. In early 2009, Citroën announced the development of the premium brand DS , for Different Spirit or Distinctive Series (although the reference to
1232-468: A successful six-year stint working with Mors between 1908 and the outbreak of war . The decision to switch to automobile manufacturing was taken as early as 1916, which is the year when Citroën asked the engineer Louis Dufresne, previously with Panhard , to design a technically sophisticated 18HP automobile he could produce in his factory once peace returned. Long before that happened, however, he had modified his vision and decided, like Henry Ford , that
1320-740: A technological leap forward was pursued to a limited extent: in 1965 the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow used this type of suspension, while the 1963 Mercedes-Benz 600 and Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 tried to replicate its advantages with a costly, complex and expensive to maintain, air suspension , that avoided the Citroën-patented technology. By 1975, the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 was finally produced with this proven system and Mercedes-Benz continues to offer variations on this technology today. During Citroën's 1968–1975 venture with Maserati ,
1408-504: A unitary body with no separate frame , four wheel independent suspension and front-wheel drive . Whereas for many decades, the vast majority of motor cars were similar in conception to the Ford Model T – a body bolted onto a ladder frame which held all the mechanical elements of the car, a solid rear axle that rigidly connected the rear wheels and rear wheel drive . The Model T school of automobile engineering proved popular because it
1496-468: A very soft, interconnected suspension, but did not have the more complex self-levelling feature . This car remained in production, with only minor changes, until 1990 and was a common sight on French roads until recently; 9 million 2CV variants were produced in the period 1948–1990. 1955 saw the introduction of the DS , the first full usage of Citroën's hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension system, tested on
1584-563: A way that clearly retained features of the Pons Plan: The winners were clearly the big four French automakers that dominated the French auto-market in the 1950s and 1960s: Citroën , Renault , Peugeot and Simca . Panhard , which had concluded the 1930s as the producer of large stylish expensive cars, was reinvented as a volume maker of small cars with aluminium bodies. Aluminium producers had geared up to support aircraft makers who, following
1672-513: Is a commune in the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle , Lorraine , administrative region of Grand Est , northeastern France . The inhabitants are known as Longoviciens . In 2008, the ville neuve ("New Town") was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , as part of the " Fortifications of Vauban " group for its contributions to the development of military architecture and engineering. Longwy has historically been an industrial center of
1760-516: Is a global brand, except in North America, where the company has not returned since the SM was effectively banned in 1974 for not meeting U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) bumper height regulations. In 2016, Peugeot–Citroën South Africa (PCSA) announced that they were going to stop importing new Citroën models into South Africa in order to focus on increasing Peugeot's sales in
1848-609: The Champs-Élysées in Paris which normally sold Alda cars . Citroën persuaded the owner of the Alda business, Fernand Charron , to lend him the show-room, which is still in use today. This C42 showroom is where the company organises exhibitions and shows its vehicles and concept cars. A few years later, Charron would be persuaded to become a major investor in the Citroën business. On 7 July 1919,
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#17328951010721936-619: The Duchy of Bar . Longwy was ceded to Wenceslaus I of Luxembourg in 1368, but was returned to Bar in 1378. The Duchy of Bar was then annexed into the Duchy of Lorraine in 1480. From 1648 to 1660 Longwy was part of the Kingdom of France , returning to the Duchy of Lorraine afterwards. It was made part of France again in 1670, a situation which was finalized in the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1678. Vauban fortified
2024-629: The Dyane , and soon the Peugeot 104 based Citroën Visa and Citroën LNA . Peugeot was typically prudent with its own finances. Then, PSA purchased the ageing assets and substantial liabilities of Chrysler Europe for $ 1, leading to losses from 1980 to 1985. PSA resurrected the Talbot name for the Chrysler cars, but stopped producing cars with the badge in 1987 as the cars were considered unreliable and poorly-made. At
2112-481: The Faubourg Saint-Denis area of the 10th arrondissement of Paris and moved in 1912 to 31 Quai de Grenelle in the 15th arrondissement of Paris . André Citroën (1878–1935) built armaments for France during World War I ; after the war, however, he realized that unless he planned ahead he would have a modern factory without a product. Citroën was already experienced in the automotive business, thanks to
2200-608: The Lorraine iron mining district. Factories lined the river in historic postcards. The town is also known for its artistic faience , produced there since 1798. It is produced today by the Société des faïenceries de Longwy et Senelle, often in cooperation with artists and ceramists. Overglaze enamel decoration, known as émaux and often in a manner similar to cloisonné , has been produced in Longwy ceramics since 1872. Initially produced under
2288-817: The M2 Half Track Car and M3 Half-track versions. The U.S. eventually produced more than 41,000 vehicles in over 70 versions between 1940 and 1944. After their 1940 occupation of France, the Nazis captured many of the Citroën half-track vehicles and armored them for their own use. Citroën used the Eiffel Tower as the world's largest advertising sign, as recorded in Guinness World Records . He also sponsored expeditions in Asia ( Croisière Jaune ), North America (Croisière Blanche) and Africa (Croisière Noire), demonstrating
2376-409: The Traction Avant . This was the world's first car to be mass-produced with front-wheel drive and four-wheel independent suspension, as well as unibody construction, omitting a separate chassis, and instead using the body of the car itself as its main load-bearing structure. In 1954, they produced the world's first hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension system; then the revolutionary DS ,
2464-470: The 1950s, West Germany. North America had plenty of customers willing and able to spend money on new cars, but it also had powerful domestic auto producers, and in volume terms during the early years following the Second World War , at least until Mercedes-Benz made a serious return, imported British producers of luxury and sporting cars tended to outperform other European auto-makers in North America. As
2552-432: The 1960s, Citroën undertook a series of financial and development decisions, aiming to build on its strength of the 1950s with the successful 2CV, Type H, and DS models. Nevertheless, these maneuvers were insufficiently effective, and Citroën went bankrupt again in 1974. These measures were to address two key gaps facing the company: These steps include: The teams of Charles Marchetti and Citroën began working together on
2640-438: The 1980s, Citroën models became increasingly Peugeot-like. The 1982 BX used the hydropneumatic suspension system and had a typical Citroënesque appearance, whilst being powered by Peugeot-derived engines and using the floorpan later seen on the Peugeot 405 . In this respect PSA followed the worldwide motor industry trend of platform sharing which is a logical way to reduce costs whilst selling apparently different models. By
2728-465: The 2014 customer satisfaction survey by JD Power in China, above luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW , and above mass market brands, like Volkswagen, ranking only thirteenth and seventeenth respectively. In the first ten months of 2014 in China, the sales of Dongfeng Citroën cars increased by 30% in an overall market growth of 11%. Despite the near-death financial experience of PSA Peugeot Citroën in 2014, and financial rescue by Dongfeng Motors ,
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2816-635: The 2019 Geneva International Motor Show , the manufacturer presented the Ami One concept car to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Then, in May 2019, it unveiled the Citroën 19_19 Concept at the Viva Technology show in Paris. In the early 1980s, Citroën was targeted by union action. On 25 May 1982, events led to a mass demonstration in the streets of Paris, when approximately 27,000 workers affirmed their wish to work at
2904-471: The 526,443 of 1971, and enough to lift the company past Peugeot into second place among French auto makers when ranked by sales volume. The older models continued to sell well: the peak production period of the DS was 1970, and 2CV was in 1974. As the 1970s progressed, circumstances became more unfavourable. In 1973, Fiat sold back to Michelin its 49% stake in the PARDEVI holding company that owned Citroën,
2992-506: The A.F.G. (Aluminium Français Grégoire) which was later rebranded as the Panhard Dyna X . Citroën used the duration of the plan to further develop the Citroën 2CV that had been started in the 1930s. It was launched in 1948. Although the larger auto-makers did not entirely follow its strictures, by the time Paul-Marie Pons left his job in November 1946, the vehicle market had been carved up in
3080-439: The Citroën and DS brands worked to develop new technologies with the hope to grow 15% by 2020, according to Citroën CEO Linda Jackson and DS CEO Yves Bonnefont . In the end sales of the Citroën and DS brands in Europe and China fell by 22% by 2019, and fell even further during the 2020 COVID outbreak. In January 2020, Linda Jackson was succeeded as CEO of Citroën by the deputy CEO Vincent Cobée , and she would instead "lead
3168-431: The Citroën and Fiat joint announcement indicated that the benefits foreseen for their union in 1968 had failed to materialise. This was not in line with the tyre company's long-term strategy of ending involvements in the car manufacturing business and created a very unstable ownership situation. The company suffered another financial blow with the 1973 energy crisis . The gamble on Comotor and Maserati showed that there
3256-632: The Citroën high-pressure hydraulic system was used on several Maserati models : for power clutch operation (Bora); power pedal adjustment (Bora); pop-up headlights (Bora, Merak); brakes (Bora, Merak, Khamsin); steering (Khamsin) and the entire Quattroporte II prototype, which was a four-door Citroën SM under the skin. Citroën was one of the early pioneers of the now-widespread trend of aerodynamic automobile design, which helps to reduce fuel consumption and to improve high-speed performance, by reducing wind resistance . The DS could happily cruise at 160 km/h (100 mph) without any discomfort for
3344-722: The Michelin board in 1922 and became president of Citroën in January 1938 after the death in a road accident of his friend Pierre Michelin remaining in this position until his own death in 1950. In 1938, he also had become Michelin's joint managing director. During the German occupation of France in World War II Boulanger refused to meet Dr. Ferdinand Porsche or communicate with the German authorities except through intermediaries. He organized
3432-574: The Paris Motor Show in October 1924, Citroën introduced the Citroën B10 , the first all-steel body in Europe. These automobiles were initially successful in the marketplace, but soon competitors who were still using a wooden structure for their vehicles, introduced new body designs. Citroën, who did not redesign the bodies of his cars, still sold in large quantities nonetheless, the cars' low price being
3520-507: The Pons Plan could be ignored or circumvented once the immediate pressures of post war political interventionism had subsided. Licorne, like Mathis, took a stand at the 1948 Paris Motor Show and exhibited a stylish 14 CV cabriolet. This came a year after the company had presented, the previous year, an elegant 1450cc (8CV) car called the Type 164R. But without government sanctioned steel supplies there
3608-508: The Pons Plan neither as voluntary nor as temporary as some may have anticipated. The luxury auto-makers whose cars were to be targeted at export markets found few buyers in those neighbouring countries where the economy had, as in France, been devastated by war, and even the Swiss auto market was far too small to sustain the luxury brands of France, Britain, Italy and, increasingly as the 1940s rolled into
Paul-Marie Pons - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-411: The Pons Plan receded into history during the 1950s, any surviving French luxury automakers might have been relieved that their steel supplies were no longer savagely restricted according to government policy, but other policies from the late 1940s that targeted larger cars, notably a punitive annual car tax for any passenger cars with engines larger than approximately 2 litres (coincidentally slightly above
3784-505: The Traction Avant, tearing down and rebuilding the factory (in five months) and the extensive marketing efforts, were investments that resulted too costly for Citroën to do all at once, causing the financial ruin of the company. In December 1934, despite the assistance of the Michelin company, Citroën filed for bankruptcy. Within the month, Michelin , already the car manufacturer's largest creditor, became its principal shareholder. However,
3872-555: The automobile industry only in niche brands, like Porsche and Ferrari . Citroën unveiled the Citroën 2CV or Deux Chevaux signifying two tax horsepower and initially only 9 hp (6.7 kW), 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 . It was unusually inexpensive to purchase and, with its small two cylinder engine, inexpensive to run as well. The 2CV pioneered
3960-406: The basis of over 9 million Citroën cars, including the DS , SM , GS , CX , BX , XM , Xantia , C5 , and C6 . Self-levelling suspension is the principal user benefit: the car maintains a constant ride height above the road, regardless of passenger and cargo load and despite the very soft suspension. Hydropneumatic suspension is uniquely able to absorb road irregularities without disturbing
4048-483: 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. In February 1917 Citroën 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 Zèbre . André Citroën's mandate was characteristically demanding and characteristically simple: to produce an all-new design for
4136-592: The body panels; it was named 2010 Car of the Year by Top Gear Magazine , and was awarded best supermini four times in a row by the JD Power Satisfaction Survey UK and second most efficient supermini (Citroën DS3 1.6 e-HDi 115 Airdream : True MPG 63.0mpg) by What car ? behind the C3 . In 2013 the DS3 was again the best-selling premium subcompact car, with 40% of the European market share, validating
4224-449: The clearing of obstacles, fording shallow (slow-moving) streams and changing tyres. Since Citroën was underfunded, its vehicles had the tendency to be underdeveloped at launch, with limited distribution and service networks outside France. Consequently, the early DS models experienced teething issues with the complex hydraulic system, eventually, the hydraulic seals and system component design were sorted, becoming reliable. Licensing such
4312-457: The control of well-connected Resistance veteran Pierre Lefaucheux who ignored the Pons Plan. Lefauchex went ahead with a small car that had been well advanced during the war, which emerged in 1948 as the Renault 4CV . That left Peugeot with the middle-sized cars, while Simca , owned by a foreign company , was also able to escape the model planning of the civil servant. That left Panhard to produce
4400-416: The country that supported the big four auto-makers. In 1949, Panhard produced 4,834 passenger cars, which was no mean achievement under the circumstances, but still derisory when set against the 63,920 cars produced that year by Renault and the 49,424 by Citroën . By comparison, Chevrolet built 180,251 base-trim two door sedans alone in (model year) 1949, so "volume" was relative. Smaller automakers found
4488-591: The country. In May 2019, it was reported that PCSA would re-introduce the Citroën brand into South Africa, this was later confirmed by PCSA, in August 2019, that new Citroën models will go on sale in the middle of October 2019. From 2003 to 2010, Citroën produced the C3 Pluriel, an unusual convertible with allusions to the 1948–1990 2CV model, both in body style (such as the bonnet) and in its all-round practicality. In 2001 it celebrated its history of innovation when it opened
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#17328951010724576-449: The development of the RE-2 [ fr ] helicopter . From a model range perspective, the 1970s started well, supported by the successful launch of the long-awaited mid-size Citroën GS , finally filling the huge gap between the 2CV and the DS – with a 1-litre, hydropneumatically suspended car. The GS went on to sell 2.5 million units; 601,918 cars were produced in 1972 alone, up from
4664-544: The direction of Amadeo de Carenza, this style reached a peak in the Art Deco style, retailed by the Parisian department store Printemps . Route nationale 52 (part of European route E411 ) passes through Longwy. Longwy station has rail connections to Luxembourg, Charleville-Mézières and Nancy. Longwy initially belonged to Lotharingia . After the division of that kingdom, the town became part of Upper Lorraine and ultimately
4752-435: The direction of the minister, Robert Lacoste . Robert Lacoste had himself been a senior civil servant before the war and had been a member of the French Resistance during the war, after which he re-emerged as a Socialist Deputy and a leading national politician. He died in Paris . The Pons Plan was conceived in the broader context of the modernisation and reconstruction Plan of the influential economist Jean Monnet who
4840-454: The express orders of the Germans, and developed the concepts that were later brought to market in three remarkable vehicles – a small car (2CV), a delivery van (Type H) and a large, swift family car (DS). These were widely regarded by contemporary journalists as avant garde , even radical, solutions to automotive design. Thus began a decades-long period of unusual brand loyalty , normally seen in
4928-404: The first customer took delivery of a new Citroën 10HP Type A . In the same year, it produced 30 cars daily, totaling 2,810 vehicles, with 12,244 produced in 1920. That same year, André Citroën briefly negotiated with General Motors a proposed sale of the Citroën company. The deal nearly closed, but General Motors ultimately decided that its management and capital would be too overstretched by
5016-406: The first mass-produced car with modern disc brakes , in 1955; and in 1967 they introduced in several of their models swiveling headlights that allowed for greater visibility on winding roads. These cars have received various national and international awards, including three European Car of the Year awards. Born to a Dutch father and a Polish mother, both of Jewish heritage, André Citroën
5104-561: The historical Citroën DS is evident), to run in parallel to its mainstream cars. The slogan of the DS car marque is "Spirit of avant-garde". This new series of cars started early in 2010, with the DS3 , a small car based on the floorpan of the new C3. The DS3 is based on the concept that preceded the C3 Pluriel production model and the Citroën DS Inside concept car. The DS3 is customisable with various roof colours contrasting with
5192-410: The image of the Maserati brand in a downward brand extension to sell 40,000 of the newly designed Bi-Turbo models. The truck manufacturing company Berliet was sold to Renault . This new PSA venture was a financial success from 1976 to 1979. Citroën had two successful new designs in the market, the GS and CX . In the wake of the oil crisis, the brand also had resurgent sales for the 2CV and
5280-462: The larger manufacturers: Berliet , Citroën , Ford SAF , Panhard , Peugeot , Renault and Simca . Citroën and Renault were both considered powerful and large enough to operate autonomously, but Peugeot were required to link up with Hotchkiss , Latil and Saurer for the production of commercial vehicles. In the Lyon region, Berliet was required to form an association with Isobloc and Rochet-Schneider . There were two further groupings of
5368-404: The late 1980s, many of the distinctive features of the brand had been removed or altered. Peugeot's conventional switchgear replaced Citroën's quirky but ergonomic Lunule designs, complete with self-cancelling indicators that Citroën had refused to adopt on ergonomic grounds. The cars were "more banal and conventional", but also able to break into new markets, like fleet vehicles in the UK. In
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#17328951010725456-484: The main selling point, which factor however caused Citroën to experience heavy losses. In 1927, the bank Lazard helped Citroën by bringing new much-needed funds, as well as by renegotiating its debt—for example, by buying out the Société de Vente des Automobiles Citroën (SOVAC). It went even further by entering in its capital and being represented on the board; the three directors sent by Lazard were Raymond Philippe, Andre Meyer and Paul Frantzen. André Citroën perceived
5544-399: The meantime Citroën expanded into many new global markets. Beyond existing manufacturing plants in Argentina , Chile , Vietnam , and Yugoslavia , it added Iran , Greece , Romania , and China . 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 Citroën Axel . That joint venture has now ended, but
5632-454: The more damaging because Matthis had handed over the plans of the factory to the Americans in order that they might more effectively destroy what was, during the war, a German manufacturer of military motors and munitions. By 1948, Mathis was exhibiting a modern six cylinder sedan/saloon called the Type 666 at the Paris Motor Show , but for small manufacturers there was nothing optional about the Pons Plan, because government controlled supplies of
5720-421: The need to differentiate his product, to avoid the low price competition surrounding his conventional rear drive models in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1933 he introduced the Rosalie, the first commercially available passenger car with a diesel engine , developed with Harry Ricardo . The Traction Avant is a car that pioneered the mass production of three revolutionary features that are still in use today:
5808-429: The occupants and is often compared to riding on a magic carpet for this reason. These vehicles shared the distinguishing feature of rising to operating ride height when the engine was turned on, like a "mechanical camel" (per Car & Driver magazine). A lever ( later replaced by an electronic switch ) beside the driver's seat allowed the driver to adjust the height of the car; this height adjustability allows for
5896-417: The occupants. The firm began using a wind tunnel in the 1950s, helping them to create highly streamlined cars, like the DS, that were years ahead of their competitors, and so good were the aerodynamics of the CX model, that it took its name – c x {\displaystyle \mathbf {c} _{\mathrm {x} }\,} – from the mathematical term used to measure the drag coefficient. In
5984-434: The outbreak of peace, were no longer supported by an insatiable demand for fighter planes. In the late 1940s aluminium was therefore available and relatively inexpensive, while the sheet steel which most automakers needed for their car bodies was in desperately short supply. Nevertheless, the Panhard Dyna was not a simple model to produce, nor indeed to maintain, and Panhard lacked the strong dealership and service network across
6072-507: The patent for very little money, leading to the invention that is credited to Citroën: double helical gears. In 1901, at the age of 23, André Citroën partnered with André Boas and Jacques Hinstin, whom he had known since their days at Lycée Condorcet . Together, they invested a significant portion of Citroën's inheritance to found the company "Citroën, Hinstin et Cie," a manufacturing business specializing in gears, particularly V-shaped helical gears. The company started with about ten workers in
6160-451: The poor cash flow situation and the unstable ownership structure, the French government arranged talks between Citroën and Michelin culminating in the merger of Automobiles Citroën and Automobiles Peugeot into a single company. Thus, one year after the break with Fiat, on 24 June 1974 Citroën announced the new partnership, this time with Peugeot. to whom Michelin agreed to transfer control of the business. In December 1974 Peugeot S.A. acquired
6248-442: The potential for motor vehicles equipped with the Kégresse track system to cross inhospitable regions. These expeditions conveyed scientists and journalists . Demonstrating extraordinary toughness, a 1923 Citroën that had already travelled 48,000 km (30,000 mi) was the first car to be driven around Australia. The car, a 1923 Citroën 5CV Type C Torpedo, was driven by Neville Westwood from Perth , Western Australia , on
6336-524: The raw materials – above all the steel – needed to produce cars. In the end Mathis was forced to abandon his plans to return to auto-making, and the productive assets of his Strasbourg plant were sold to Citroën in 1953. Three years later, Émile Mathis himself died as the result of an accident which involved his falling out of a hotel window in Geneva . Less combative than Émile Mathis, the directors of Corre La Licorne seem nevertheless to have shared his view that
6424-476: The rear suspension of the Traction in 1954. The DS was also the first production car with modern disc brakes . A single high-pressure hydraulic system was used to actuate the power steering , the suspension and brakes; the brakes were fully powered, not power assisted, as pedal force was not a component of braking power. The gearshift, (semi- automatic transmission ) was also powered by the hydraulic system through
6512-436: The smaller formerly independently vehicle manufacturers, being the U.F.A (Union Française Automobile) and the G.F.A (Générale Française de l'Automobile), being headed up respectively by Panhard and Simca , and destined to produce just two models between them. In the French passenger car market, production was divided into three principal sectors according to car size. Citroën, with their existing Traction model, would occupy
6600-501: The standard engine size for the big Citroëns) endured. Other major losers from the Pons Plan, barely mentioned in the plan itself, were France's second tier volume automakers. Émile Mathis had been obliged to quit France during the war in response to the racist government policies implemented during the German occupation of France , but he returned in 1946 and invested heavily to restore his Strasbourg factory which had been badly damaged by bombs. Ironically, bombing had been rendered
6688-480: The start of the war the fort at Longwy was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Natalis Constant Darche . With a force of 3,500 men he was able to hold up the German 5th Army for three weeks. Citro%C3%ABn Citroën ( French pronunciation: [sitʁɔɛn] ) is a French automobile brand . The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 1919 by André Citroën . Citroën has been owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously
6776-467: The steering, improving visibility at night. Production from 1956 to 1975 totalled almost 1.5 million cars. The streamlined car was remarkable for its era and had a remarkable sounding name – in French, DS is pronounced [de.ɛs] , which sounds the same as déesse , which means Goddess . It placed third in the 1999 Car of the Century competition. This high-pressure hydraulic system would form
6864-587: The takeover, thus, Citroën remained independent until 1935. Between 1921 and 1937, Citroën produced half-track vehicles for off-road and military uses, using the Kégresse track system. In the 1920s, the U.S. Army purchased several Citroën-Kégresse vehicles for evaluation followed by a licence to produce them. This resulted in the United States Army Ordnance Department building a prototype in 1939. In December 1942, it went into production with
6952-468: The technologically advanced Traction Avant had met with market acceptance, and the basic philosophy of cutting-edge technology used as a differentiator, continued until the late 1990s. Pierre Michelin became the chairman of Citroën early in 1935. Pierre-Jules Boulanger , his deputy, became the vice-president and chief of the engineering and design departments. In 1935, the founder André Citroën died from stomach cancer. Pierre-Jules Boulanger had been
7040-744: The town during the reign of Louis XIV , having demolished the medieval Château de Longwy , of which one tower remains. After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, almost all of the Moselle department, along with Alsace and portions of the Meurthe and Vosges departments, was ceded to the German Empire by the Treaty of Frankfurt on the ground that the population in those areas spoke German dialects . Only one fifth of Moselle, including Longwy,
7128-590: The upper end of the volume car market. Renault and Peugeot would produce mid-sized cars, leaving the small car market for Panhard and Simca , which would produce two and four door versions of the A.F.G. (Aluminium Français Grégoire), a radical front-wheel drive aluminium based car designed by Jean-Albert Grégoire . Matters did not work out quite as intended by the Plan. Louis Renault , accused of collaboration, had lost control of his company and died under suspicious circumstances in October 1944, and his business came under
7216-416: Was a firm believer in the benefits of government economic planning. The Pons Plan was for a government devised and directed rationalisation of the French vehicle industry. The plan identified in France 22 manufacturers of passenger cars and 28 manufacturers of trucks. This was considered too many. The plan, applied in a way that some viewed as authoritarian and arbitrary, defined complementary roles for seven of
7304-489: Was a serious flaw with the plan particularly for companies producing engines with high fuel consumption. In 1974, the carmaker withdrew from North America due to U.S. design regulations that outlawed core features of Citroën cars (see Citroën SM ). Huge losses at Citroën were caused by the failure of the Comotor rotary engine venture added to the strategic management error of going the 15 years from 1955 to 1970 without
7392-436: Was born in Paris on February 5, 1878. At the age of 7 his father committed suicide as a result of a failed business venture. Citroën was a graduate of the École Polytechnique in 1900. In that year he visited Poland, the homeland of his mother, who had recently passed away. During that holiday, he saw a carpenter working on a set of gears with a fish bone structure. These gears were less noisy, and more efficient. Citroën bought
7480-546: Was considered cheap to build, although it did pose dynamic defects as automobiles were becoming more capable, and resulted in heavier cars, which is why today cars are more like the Traction Avant than the Model T under the skin. In 1934 Citroën commissioned the American Budd Company to create a prototype, which evolved into the 7 fiscal horsepower ( CV ), 32 hp (24 kW) Traction Avant. Achieving quick development of
7568-509: Was no possibility that the cars could enter production. Other second tier volume auto-makers that survived the war by producing military supplies, only to find that after the outbreak of peace their return to auto-making was thwarted or stifled by exclusion from the "preferred producers list" of the Pons Plan included Rosengart and Salmson . Longwy Longwy ( French pronunciation: [lɔ̃wi] ; older German : Langich , [ˈlaŋɪç] ; Luxembourgish : Lonkech )
7656-658: Was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired 89.95% share in 1976. Citroën's head office is located in the Stellantis Poissy Plant in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine since 2021 (previously in Rueil-Malmaison) and its offices studies and research in Vélizy-Villacoublay, Poissy (CEMR), Carrières-sous-Poissy and Sochaux-Montbéliard. In 1934, the firm established its reputation for innovative technology with
7744-612: Was spared annexation. Otto von Bismarck later bitterly regretted his decision when it was discovered that the region of Briey and Longwy was rich with iron ore, exploited by the Aciéries de Longwy among other members of the cartel Comptoir Métallurgique de Longwy . After the Battle of the Ardennes in August 1914, Longwy was occupied by the Imperial German army until the 1918 Armistice . At
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