technologie type soci t anonyme traded as citro n s.a industry automotive founded 1919 ; 97 years ago 1919 founder andr citro n headquarters saint ouen 1 france area served worldwide except united states canada mexico and south asia key people linda jackson director products automobiles commercial vehicles production output 1 266 000 vehicles 2013 services citro n insurance revenue 59.912 billion 2013 operating income 59.912 billion 2013 net income 3148.00 billion 2012 citation needed owner groupe psa number of employees 13 900 2 parent groupe psa divisions ds automobiles website www.citroen.com www.citroenorigins.fr en 1940s citro n traction avant in vaxholm sweden 2012 citro n ds5 current top of range model c 42 is the citro n showroom on the champs elys es in paris citro n french pronunciation si.t . n is a major french automobile manufacturer part of the psa peugeot citro n group since 1976 . it was founded in 1919 by french industrialist andr gustave citro n 1878 1935 . in 1934 citro n secured its reputation for innovation with the traction avant not only the world s first mass produced front wheel drive car but also one of the first cars to feature a unitary type body with no chassis frame holding the mechanical components . 4 in 1954 citro n produced the world s first hydropneumatic self levelling suspension system 5 then in 1955 the revolutionary ds the first mass production car with modern disc brakes . 6 in 1967 citro n introduced swiveling headlights in several models allowing for greater visibility on winding roads . citro n cars have received various international and national level awards including three european car of the year . citro n has a successful history in motorsport and is the only automobile manufacturer to have won three different official championships from the international automobile federation the world rally raid championship five times 7 the world rally championship eight times 7 and the world touring car championship . citro n has been selling vehicles in china since 1984 and it represents a major market for the brand today largely via the dongfeng peugeot citro n joint venture . in 2014 when psa peugeot citro n ran into severe financial difficulties the dongfeng motor corporation took an ownership stake . the brand celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2009 . the citro n s c 42 showroom on the champs elys es in paris is a place where citro n organises some exhibitions shows its cars and concept cars . contents 1 history 1.1 early years 1.2 traction avant and michelin ownership 1.2.1 traction avant 1.2.2 research breakthroughs 1.2.3 the deux chevaux 1.2.4 the goddess 1.2.5 high pressure hydraulics 1.2.6 aerodynamic pioneer 1.2.7 expansion and financial challenges 1.3 psa peugeot citro n era 1.3.1 trade union problems 1.3.2 taming the innovative spirit 1.3.3 geographical expansion 1.3.4 recent decades 1.3.5 ds brand 2 awards 3 citro n racing 3.1 early rally wins for citro n vehicles 3.2 racing the 2cv 3.3 rebuilding the competition group 3.4 new competition division for touring cars 4 concept cars 5 logo 6 factories 7 current product lineup 7.1 citro n 7.2 ds line 7.3 dongfeng peugeot citro n joint venture 8 see also 9 references 9.1 notes 9.2 bibliography 10 external links history edit early years edit andr citro n the eiffel tower served as a billboard for citro n from 1925 to 1934 . andr citro n 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 . 8 there was nothing automatic about the decision to become an automobile manufacturer once the war was finished but the auto business was one that citro n knew well thanks to a successful six year stint working with mors between 1908 and the outbreak of war . 8 the decision to switch to automobile manufacturing was evidently taken as early as 1916 which is when citro n 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 . 8 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 . 8 in february 1917 citro n 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 z bre . 8 andr citro n 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 . 8 the result was the type a announced to the press just four months after the guns fell silent in march 1919 . 8 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 lys es which normally sold alda cars . 8 citro n 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 citro n business . 8 on 7 july 1919 the first customer took delivery of a new citro n 10hp type a . 8 that same year andr citro n briefly negotiated with general motors on a proposed sale of the citro n company to gm . 9 the deal nearly closed but gm ultimately decided that its management and capital would be too overstretched by the takeover . 9 thus citro n remained independent till 1935 . citro n was a keen marketer he used the eiffel tower as the world s largest advertising sign as recorded in guinness world records . 10 he also sponsored expeditions in asia croisi re jaune north america croisi re blanche and africa croisi re noire intended to demonstrate the potential for motor vehicles equipped with the k gresse track system to cross inhospitable regions . the expeditions conveyed scientists and journalists . 1919 citro n a 8cv torpedo 1921 citro n b torpedo 1923 type c 5cv demonstrating extraordinary toughness a 1923 citro n that had already travelled 48 000 km 30 000 mi was the first car to be driven around australia . the car a 1923 citro n 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 . 11 in 1924 citro n 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 citro n introduced the citro n b10 the first all steel body in europe . 12 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 . citro n did not redesign the bodies of his cars . citro ns 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 citro n experienced heavy losses . citation needed 1931 c4 based citro n p19b k gresse track 1933 citro n rosalie coupe 15cv citro n 8cv 1933 c4 based citro n p17 c k gresse track in 1927 the bank lazard helped citro n 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 . andr citro n perceived the need to differentiate his product to avoid the low price competition surrounding his conventional rear drive models in the late 1920s early 1930s . in 1933 citro n introduced the rosalie the first commercially available passenger car with a diesel engine developed with harry ricardo . traction avant and michelin ownership edit traction avant edit the traction avant is a car that pioneered mass production of three revolutionary features that are still in use today a unitary body with no separate frame four wheel independent suspension and front wheel drive . the vast majority of cars for many decades 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 was thought to be cheap to build but it did pose dynamic defects as cars became more capable and resulted in a heavier car which is why cars today are more like the traction avant than the model t under the skin . citro n commissioned the american budd company to create a prototype which evolved into the 7 horsepower cv 32 hp 24 kw traction avant of 1934 . pre war citro n traction avant cabriolet citro n traction avant citro n traction avant l g re rear view 1956 citro n traction avant achieving quick development of the traction avant tearing down and rebuilding the factory in five months and the extensive marketing efforts were investments that were too costly for citro n to do all at once causing the financial ruin of the company . in december 1934 despite the assistance of the michelin company citro n filed for bankruptcy . within the month michelin already the car manufacturer s largest creditor became its principal shareholder . 13 fortunately for michelin the technologically advanced traction avant 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 citro n. pierre jules boulanger became the vice president of citro n and chief of the engineering and design department . in 1935 founder andr citro n died from stomach cancer . research breakthroughs edit pierre jules boulanger had been a first world war air reconnaissance photography specialist with the french air force . he was capable and effective and finished the war having risen to 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 douard michelin co director and founder of the business . boulanger joined the michelin board in 1922 . he became president of citro n in 1937 after the death of douard and kept his position until his death in 1950 . in 1938 he also became 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 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 resulting 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