Citroen: country of origin and model range of the brand. Compare Citroen C4: Russian or French Citroen whose brand

The French company Citroen, which produces passenger cars, although it does not top the ratings of the world car markets, represents models in Europe that find many of their admirers. Citroen cars characterized by a chic design and decent technical stuffing at a very reasonable price.

Cars are highly reliable: engines, brakes and control systems are made at the highest level. The motor starts easily at temperatures up to -30 degrees. Most models have a convenient climate control system that works in several directions. The driver and passengers can set their own suitable mode. A comfortable armrest is mounted between the front seats, the position of which can be adjusted. Premium models are equipped with a modern audio system, massage seats, cruise control and air conditioning.

History of Citroen

The history of Citroen will soon celebrate its centenary, and it can be conditionally divided into several eras.

Its creator, Andre Citroen, studied for several years possible methods serial production of cars, conducting tests on cars of famous brands and studying their design.

As CTO of Mors automobile firm, Citroen brings together a group of engineers with the idea of ​​creating a powerful new high-end car. In 1919, Citroën founds the Citroën joint-stock company and produces the first and inexpensive mass-produced car produced in Europe at the Paris plant.

This model was a success for its simplicity and ease of handling, was equipped with a soft suspension and a four-cylinder engine.

Further, Citroen is developing rapidly, new car models are being developed, subsidiaries are being created in Europe, an international dealer network is being developed, and the number of factories producing cars is increasing.

In 1934, the revolutionary model Traction Avant was released, which opened the era of front-wheel drive cars. However, its costly production during the Great Depression led the company to financial failure and Citroen came under the complete financial control of Michelin.

In 1948, the company, to please the villagers, produces a budget car, not remarkable either in design or in power, but at the same time inexpensive and highly economical. This model has gained popularity for many years due to its simplicity and low cost of maintenance.

The next stage in the development of Citroen began in 1976, when the PSA holding was created on the basis of Citroen and Peugeot, but Citroen retained its brand of cars.

Where is Citroen assembled?

The desire of the future car owner to know where the Citroen is assembled is quite justified, because the quality and the country of production are currently interconnected.

French car manufacturers have not always sought to take a place in the top ten in the world. Today, these are ambitious corporations that, despite financial difficulties, offer quite adequate cars with good prices and successful technologies. But confidence in the French car market has not yet been established at the proper level. In Europe, these machines are considered budget class, comparing their characteristics and reliability with the Germans or even the Czechs. Because the Citroen Corporation was not so popular these days. However, there is some success in sales, especially in the new model line with an extensive range of cars for a wide variety of customers.

The company's offer includes a lot interesting cars with exciting powertrains and unusual design features. But the company does not seek to promote cars on the Russian market. We have an extensive network of dealers and even have a model made especially for our market (C-Elysee). But the Citroen Corporation was not particularly popular. This is due to the instability of the manufacturer, with a large number of questions about the factory assembly and a number of other unpleasant moments. But let's talk about everything in due order.

Citroen productions - an established network around the world

The development of the French brand began in 1919, that is, the brand is almost 100 years old. In the 80s of the last century, the Peugeot-Citroen joint corporation was created, which continues cooperation to this day. However, the brands have remained distinct, with separate budgets and a range of personal technologies. But most of the equipment is used on the machines of both companies at the same time.

PSA Peugeot-Citroen has dozens of production and assembly plants around the world. There are production facilities on four continents (the company is not represented only in North America and Australia). The network of enterprises is especially widespread in Africa and Latin America, as well as in China. The features of the corporation are as follows:

• compliance with the quality of production and assembly of cars, despite such a wide geographical representation;
• control of each produced car by means of a multi-level check of transport according to an established automatic scheme;
• execution of the most important parts and assemblies only at French enterprises with increased quality control;
• production of flagships under the guidance of the world's best engineers in the field of automotive production;
• attraction of professional employees around the world, search and creation of a team of professionals;
• solving financial issues and difficulties together with the largest corporations in the automotive industry;
• active cooperation with German and Italian manufacturers, development of joint technologies.

Such features allow Citroen to keep leadership in some segments, presenting cars at exhibitions and auto shows around the world. Many people know that Citroen today is going through far from the best of times in the financial sense, the concern has become a victim of the financial crisis. However, the company continues to update the lineup and produce quite presentable and competitive cars for the European market. The French company is actively conquering the Chinese market and the countries of South America. All this allows us to hope for an improvement in the financial condition of the corporation in the auto world.

Model range and features of the equipment presented by the company

Many developments technical features modern Citroen cars come with the help of engineers from the largest European companies. Recently, cooperation with the Japanese corporation Mitsubishi has been frozen, but this cooperation also gave a certain shift in terms of the model range. Even in Russia, despite the rather cold attitude towards French cars, on the roads it is fashionable to meet a lot of vehicles with the Citroen badge. Among the presented models, the following types of transport can be distinguished:

• C-Elysee - a new budget sedan with good design and simple engines, created specifically for Russia, the starting price is 470,000 rubles;
• C1 - the smallest hatchback in the manufacturer's offer with little potential and cute appearance, costing 520,000 rubles;
• C3 Picasso - an unusual volumetric hatchback with a custom design and impressive performance with a price of 850,000 rubles;
• C4 Sedan - a new model for Russian market With modern design and good equipment under the hood with a price tag of 670,000 rubles;
• C4 hatchback - beautiful and stylish compact car with high build quality and materials at a cost of 820,000;
• C4 Aircross - a crossover built on a common C4 base with an expressive appearance and quite productive engines, the price is from 1,000,000 rubles;
• C4 Picasso - in some way even a futuristic car with a huge interior and equipment unusual for the French for 1,145,000 rubles;
• Grand C4 Picasso - an even more impressive car with a spaceship design, especially inside, the cost starts from 1,210,000 rubles;
• C5 Sedan - a large luxury car with excellent performance and business class in the cabin with a price of 1,070,000;
• The C5 Tourer is a station wagon based on the C5 with huge interior space and amazing technical specifications for 1,230,000 rubles;
• C5 Tourer XTR - a special station wagon equipped with the most powerful technology and with certain changes in design, the cost is from 1.6 million;
• Berlingo Multispace is one of the most popular cars a brand with huge competition but a very large number of sales at a price of 800,000;
• Jumpy Multispace is a passenger minibus with premium space inside and costs from 1.4 million rubles.

Here is such an immodest lineup offered by Citroen in the passenger car segment. Can be listed and commercial transport, which has become quite an adequate alternative for many enterprises. In particular, many companies for urban transportation use Berlingo and Jumpy in cargo version. French transport is not without quality, even if its reliability is far from ideal. If there are no violations of operating conditions, it is easy to increase the potential life of the machine and enjoy every trip.

Plans for the future and real prospects for Citroen

A company with significant debts is not so attractive to investors, so the development of the Citroen lineup is still rather sluggish. You may have noticed that the corporation is actively using the C4 base and developing this area of ​​​​its activity in all possible directions.

Also, several models from the corporation's proposal are built on the C5 platform at once. This means saving money to create an individual technical look for each car. However, in the future of the corporation, positive features are also seen:

• the lineup is developing very quickly, updates keep pace with the times;
• the company always manages to present new products on a level with competitors, without being left behind;
• many new cooperation contracts with Italian and German corporations give a chance for cheap and high-quality developments;
• making cars in developing countries makes the company's products cheaper;
• successful solutions in terms of design allow you to always keep the lineup on top, offering modern cars.

In the plans for the future, the concern has a lot of interesting projects that can only be implemented if there is sufficient funding. The joint cooperation of two large French companies allows you to stay afloat and sell more and more cars every year after the crisis. But while there is no way out of a difficult situation, Citroen cars remain not the very first choice on the wish lists of Russian motorists. We offer you to see a test drive of one of the most technologically advanced Citroen cars - C4 Aircross:

Summing up

The French corporation Citroen has a fairly high quality of cars, despite the production of all parts in different parts of the world. The company conducts a worthy quality control of every detail and assembly of its vehicles, offers quite adequate models and design solutions for its products. However, Citroen's successful solutions are actually based on the same platform. This is the basis of all models with the C4 index in the title. The comfort class platform has become the basis for the creation of many interesting cars from the manufacturer.

The development and recovery from the crisis of the Citroen Corporation is hard to miss. But while investments and investments are extremely difficult to pay off. The popularity of the C-Elysee and C4 Sedan, specially designed for Russia, rolled back after the growth of the exchange rate, and production in our country stopped the active production of models. The same situation has become the main closure of a number of factories in China. Despite all the difficulties, the company continues to work and offer its customers high-quality transport. What do you think about the proposals of the French corporation Citroen?

In 1919, Citroen was founded, one of the largest automotive companies Europe. The brand's first model became one of the most popular cars of the 20th century. The compact Citroen A was equipped with a 1.3-liter power unit, whose power was 18 horsepower. The combination of a light body, a powerful and reliable engine, as well as a low price model, ensured the great popularity of Citroen cars.

After the first success, the brand began to create several cars at once, the company's founder Andre Citroen was passionate about the idea of ​​​​creating such a car that could become a platform for creating several models. At the same time, the production of Model A exceeded one hundred copies per day. However, in 1921, the Citroën 5 CV Trefle was introduced, which replaced the Model A in a timely manner, as its sales rate gradually fell.

In parallel with this, it was Andre Citroen who became the first in the world to apply PR solutions in the automotive sector, which led to the brand gaining popularity far beyond France. By the end of the 20s, Citroen had representation in all major European countries.

In 1929, two models were presented at once - B12 and B14, which won the title of the most comfortable cars of their time. This was confirmed by sales of Citroen cars, which sold 135 thousand in just two years of production. And in 1931, the next Citroen Grand Lux ​​model was introduced, which became the company's first premium car. The car was equipped with a 2.7-liter power unit, revolutionary for the European market, with a capacity of 53 horsepower. By 1933, Citroën, under André's leadership, had become the largest car manufacturer on the continent, surpassing the Italian FIAT and bringing car production to 1,100 cars a day.

However, already in 1934, the demand for Citroen cars suddenly fell, which by that time had invested all its assets in the creation of new factories and technology centers, so the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. One of the reasons for such a rapid collapse was the global economic crisis. 2 months after the start of the bankruptcy proceedings, 60% of the shares were bought out by the Michelin automobile rubber manufacturer.

A few months later, the founder of the company Andre Citroen passes away. Nevertheless, the heirs of the automotive legend tried to rectify the situation, which took them two decades. In 1955, the Citroen DS model was introduced, which became very popular in the automotive market in France and Italy. The company was able to make a profit for the first time, something that had not happened for more than twenty years. However, the period from 1955 to 1969 did not become successful for Citroen. In 1976, the Citroen brand became part of Peugeot, the largest automaker in France at that time.

In the first half of the 90s of the twentieth century, the Citroen brand produces models such as Santia, Saxo and Berlingo, gradually returning to its former greatness. In addition, active preparations have begun for participation in several racing series. At the same time, several models of different classes are born at once. The first of these was the Citroen C4 model, which belongs to the compact class C according to the European classification, followed by the C3 - B class, and C5 - D class.

In 2004, just two years after entering the World Rally Championship, French driver Sébastien Loeb, driving a Citroen Casara, becomes the winner of the general classification. This was followed by his victories in the C4, C3 and DS3 cars, bringing the total number of victories to 9. Thus, taking part in 12 seasons of the championship, a record was set for the number of victories in the history of the WRC.

The model range of the company, against the backdrop of success in automotive competitions, was replenished with sports versions. famous models, and in 2007, the first Citroen crossover was introduced, built on the Mitsubishi Outlander platform. In 2011, another model was introduced compact crossover, which became one of the most popular cars in the French market in 2012.

The new direction of the company was the creation of a unique design. Due to the fact that all technological developments were carried out jointly with Peugeot, they did not require huge investments.

In 2013, the Citroen C4 Picasso (five-seat version) was released, which soon, already in 2014, found its “big brother” Citroen Grand C4 Picasso with increased capacity (seven seats). The upgraded version was a real leap forward and gave all subsequent models a completely new sophisticated design. The car is designed on the EMP2 platform, thanks to which the drivers of the novelty have reduced the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere. This model was distinguished not only by its perfect appearance, but also by the introduction of a huge number of modern technologies. For example, convenient touchscreen, which allows you to control all on-board systems.

It is worth noting that the versions of 2013 and 2014 were able to collect more than 65 thousand orders. Cars began to be in great demand in large families.

The pride of the French - "sent from above" brand Citroën

Car brands are iconic and historical, but this is not about the Citroën brand, which combines both. All this is because the company has always been true to its traditions and was ahead of its time in its development. Only cars of this brand chose the head of state and Fantômas, and it was the Citroën car that saved his life during the assassination attempt on General de Gaulle. In the company's homeland, in France, Citroën cars are called "sent from above" and are rightfully proud of them.

The origins of the auto brand

Andre Citroen was born in 1878. His father Levi Citroen at that time was a successful entrepreneur engaged in the processing of precious stones and their subsequent sale. But his father was not his mentor in the business world. When Andre was only 6 years old, the head of the family committed suicide. After Levy's death, his family inherited not only a large inheritance, but, more importantly, connections in Parisian financial and industrial circles. In those years, the sons traditionally continued to run the family business, but the young Citroen was far from trading, he was more attracted to technology. And therefore, after graduating from the Polytechnic School at the age of 23, he goes to work in the workshops of his friends Esten, engaged in the production of parts for steam locomotives. After 4 years, Andre invests all his inheritance in the Esten business and becomes a co-owner of their business.

While in Poland, Citroen happened to get into a small factory, where, among other parts, gears were also produced, designed by an unknown self-taught mechanic. Citroen immediately realized the promise of this technology and acquired a patent for its application. Becoming a partner in the business of the Estenovs, the enterprising Andre set up the production of gears at the plant, which were much more advanced than their counterparts produced by competitors. Soon these products are in demand in many countries, which in turn brings huge financial profits to their owners. Since that time, the company's brand emblem, now known to almost everyone, in the form of two inverted letters "V", which is a schematic designation of bevel gears, originates. The French themselves call this emblem "double chevron".

At the plant, Andre was engaged in the performance of duties not only of the commercial, but also of the technical director. And in a short time, the young entrepreneur no longer had worthy competitors. Thanks to the excellent reputation earned, Citroen was invited in 1908 to the Mogs car factory to take the position of technical director, after which the company's business began to go uphill.

The First World War did not prevent Andre from showing his entrepreneurial abilities. Realizing how catastrophic things are for the French army with ammunition, Citroen offers the Ministry of War to conclude a contract with him to build a plant for the large-scale production of shells in three months. After long negotiations, the state nevertheless agrees to Citroen's proposal and allocates him 20% of the required amount. Andre borrows the rest of the money from fellow financiers and industrialists. During the three months indicated, a factory was built on the empty banks of the Seine, producing more ammunition than all other enterprises put together. Andre himself explained his success with "an excellent organization."

The first steps of Andre Citroen in the automotive industry

Even when the war was in full swing, the entrepreneur was carried away by the idea of ​​​​creating his own car and ordered the designers to draw the car, which later received his name. And when the war ended, Citroen had everything to organize his own car manufacturing enterprise: experience, highly qualified specialists, production facilities where ammunition had previously been created, and huge sums of money earned in the war. In 1912, Andre visited the Ford factories and learned details about the American conveyor production of cars. After 7 years, Citroen, together with engineer Jules Salomon, began to create cars.

In 1919, all French newspapers were full of announcements about the imminent release of a new car, the cost of which would be only 7.25 thousand francs. At the time, no automaker could offer a similarly low cost. This news produced a stunning effect. In just a couple of weeks, about 16 thousand applications were received for the purchase of a novelty called Citroën "A", which was released in the late spring of 1919. The model was equipped with a 1.3-liter engine, developing a power of 10 "horses", and, for the first time among European cars, an electric starter. Citroën "A" could reach a maximum speed of 60 km per hour and had quite spacious salon. At the same time, already in the "base" the car was equipped with headlights, a horn and a spare wheel. The same elements for cars of other brands were available only as an option. The Andre factory produced 100 copies of the model daily. Citroen was the first among European manufacturers to start mass-producing cars and make this vehicle not a luxury item, but a means of transportation. At the same time, the businessman is secretly studying at his plant the design of such famous American cars as Studebaker, Buick and Nash, as well as various options for serial production of cars. In just 4 years, the production of model "A" has increased to 300 units daily. At the same time, the company presents a fairly simple four-cylinder subcompact 5CV. This reliable "people's" car, adapted to rural roads, had no front brakes, but had elliptical leaf springs front and rear. A few years later, more advanced models appear, such as B12 and B14.

Citroen's ingenious publicity stunts

Once having learned about some English pilot of an airplane who could write various words in the sky with the help of turns leaving a white trail, Andre immediately had a brilliant idea. And then one day, letters four hundred meters in size appeared on a heavenly background, forming a five-kilometer-long inscription "Citroën". Although five minutes later there was no trace of the inscription, on which an incredible amount was spent, but it fulfilled its task, only the lazy did not talk about the Citroën brand.

Andre's most creative idea can be called the idea of ​​\u200b\u200b"The Eiffel Tower" on fire. Thanks to the 125,000 light bulbs installed on the tower, all Parisians and visitors to the city could enjoy an incredible spectacle when the lights formed ten images that appeared alternately, among which was, of course, the name "Citroën".

Difficult period in the history of the brand

The financial crisis that broke out in the early 30s did not bypass Andre's "brainchild". Nevertheless, despite the difficulties, the company manages to produce such famous cars as the Citroën C4 and C6 during this period. The C6 model was equipped with a 6-cylinder engine and could accelerate to almost 100 km / h. In 1933, in less than six months, the entrepreneur rebuilds his factories located on the Javel embankment, and as a result, an automobile giant with an area of ​​\u200b\u200b55 thousand m² appears on this site with a continuous production line producing a thousand copies of brand cars daily.

The weak point in Citroen's activities was that his ideas were always ahead of his financial possibilities, and therefore he was always heavily in debt. This backfired on him in 1934, when lenders stopped giving him new loans, and reduced demand for cars prevented him from getting out of the situation with his own funds. After a series of unsuccessful attempts to find other investors, the entrepreneur had to declare himself bankrupt. Most of the company's shares in the amount of 60 percent went to the Michelin concern. Shortly thereafter, the company begins to produce a truly revolutionary car at that time called the 7CV Traction Avant, which has a monocoque body, a front-wheel drive system and an independent torsion bar suspension.

But Andre was not destined to see the success of this car with his own eyes; in the early spring of 1935, Citroen died. The official reason for his departure was stomach cancer, but the financial difficulties that hit him, as well as the death of his daughter, played an important role in his imminent death.

Company after the death of its founder

Released in 1934, a novelty with an innovative design for a long time was at the top of technical progress, thanks to which its production continued for another 12 years. Thanks to the 7CV Traction Avant, the brand managed to recover relatively quickly after the end of the crisis. But before this period of recovery, the company experienced many difficulties: the dismissal of 8 thousand workers, the closure of the Italian assembly plant, etc.

During the war, the company worked mainly for the needs of the army, but also produced in small quantities the 7CV Traction Avant already on the assembly line. By the beginning of 1946, the automaker produced 9.32 thousand copies of the model, and a year later this number increased to 24.44 thousand units. Citroën was gradually reborn. The management still continues to maintain the established tradition of experimentation. The result of this desire was the rebuilt plant in Levallois, where separate work areas are created for the assembly of motors. A little later, at the same enterprise, they begin to produce another one. legendary model Traction Avant 2CV. The people nicknamed this long-liver "Duck tail". Although the appearance of the model was not particularly attractive, and the engine was not particularly powerful, the car had another very important advantage - low cost. The model, without any significant changes in the design, rolled off the assembly line for 42 years.

In 1955, Citroën surprises again automotive world presented at the Paris Motor Show model DS19. Nicknamed the "Goddess", the aerodynamically perfect novelty made a splash not only with its futuristic appearance, but also with a number of technological innovations used to create it. The car was distinguished by a long flat hood gradually descending to the front bumper and a streamlined rear with closed rear wheels. To create parts, the developers used plastic and aluminum alloys, and also equipped the model with disc brakes, power steering and, most importantly, a hydropneumatic suspension, which not only allowed to increase ground clearance, but also provided better handling and comfort. The DS19 was driven by a 4-cylinder 75-horsepower engine, which accelerated the model to 150 km / h.

A year later, the company produces the 1019 model, the cost of which was lower than that of the DS19, and in 1958, the ID19 station wagon created on the basis of the DS19 chassis, equipped with air conditioning and a cordless telephone, was released.

In the period of the sixties, the company continues to develop actively, concludes contracts, opens production facilities in other countries and launches the production of new models. So, for example, the Ami6 model is produced during this period.

In the seventies, the company again found itself in a difficult situation. Extravagance, which the brand was so famous for, ceased to bring a lot of income. And by the middle of the decade, due to the outbreak of the oil crisis, the original, but distinguished by high fuel consumption, Citroën cars were no longer sold. In order to prevent bankruptcy, the company in 1974 decided on an alliance with Peugeot. Although this merger helped save Citroën, the company completely lost its identity. The first “brainchild” of the union of the two companies was the Visa model, which was based on the Citroën 104 model. Under the hood of the novelty was a 0.65-liter 2-cylinder engine supplemented with an air cooling system. To accommodate the interests of its partner, Citroën also released a variation of the Visa, equipped with a created by Peugeot more powerful 4-cylinder unit with a volume of 1.1 liters.

In the 1980s, the company's famous logo changed from blue and yellow to white and red. During this period, Citroën is actively engaged in the improvement of production, investing huge finances in the development of the concern. The investment pays off. In 1982, a new mid-size BX model was released, which for the first time was equipped with diesel engine XUD. In 1983, all management at the company's factories was computerized. Three years later, the concern begins to produce cars of a small class AX. And in 1989, the automotive world welcomes the XM model, which is distinguished by its elegant exterior and excellent driving performance.

By the beginning of the nineties, the fashion for original cars was reappearing and Citroën, as one of the founders of extravagant and original design, did not miss the opportunity to express itself. This is how the ZX model appeared, with which the company officially returned to motorsport. In this decade, Citroën launches models such as the Xantia, Saxo, Xsara, Evasion, as well as the Xsara Picasso.

In 1997, Jean-Martin Folz took over as CEO of the group and decided to make the two brands represented by the group as different from each other as possible. This decision was decisive for Citroën and marked the beginning of the rebirth of the legendary brand.

Citroën in the new century

The new millennium begins with a triumph for Citroën - the C5 makes its successful debut at the Paris Motor Show. The novelty was offered in the station wagon and hatchback, and was also equipped with the innovative Hydractive III hydraulic suspension, capable of operating in two modes (Sport and Comfort). AT motor range models included 210 hp gasoline unit V6 with a volume of 3 liters and a 2.2-liter diesel engine that develops a power of 136 "horses". It was with the release of this car that the concern returned to the alphanumeric designation of models.

The warranty period is extended to 2 years. In addition, for the first time within the PSA concern, a new SensoDrive robotic transmission is being released. The innovation was applied to the C3 model, equipped with a 1.6-liter 16V engine.

In 2006, the C4 Picasso line appears, the first-born of which, the seven-seater C4 Picasso model, featuring an original appearance and a roomy trunk, will debut at the Paris auto show. Later, on the basis of this model, the Peugeot 307 is created, as well as a five-seater variation of the C4 Picasso. In 2007, for the first time, a crossover appears in the Citroën model range. The novelty, called the C-Crosser, is equipped with a 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine that delivers 156 horsepower. The crossover is also offered with a 170-horsepower 2.4-liter gasoline engine. The company also began to actively form the DS line, which includes premium cars.