The French are leading the way in car development. He has not been afraid to put the novelties into practice since 1934, and from the Panhrad pole the development has reached a mutually identical electric car.
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The French have always liked to shake the world order, whether it is the overthrow of a monarchy or a revolution in the car industry. The country, firmly connected to the rooster, gave the world production technologies that serve timelessly to this day, or are nostalgically remembered. The Citroën brand will forever be progressive thanks to floating suspension, the bizarre connection with Maserati or the mass production of available cars is also famous. There are several milestones and some represent specific vehicles.
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1. Citroën Traction Avant (1934–1956)
The first representative of revolutionary models is Front-wheel Drive, which is reminiscent of a hot new product (front – wheel drive), but in terms of construction, the car has several rarer attractions. The 1930s Citroën chassis had an independent suspension with torsion bar suspension. At the front we would find trapezoidal hinges, at the back there were simple steel beams, trailing arms and a Panhard rod (again developed in France).
The sophisticated solution provided pleasant and high-quality handling of Avant, which was a model for future cars. Thanks to certain driving and low weight, the car soon became popular among criminals in pre-war France. Proof of technical sophistication was production lasting until 1956.
Citroën Traction Avant 11CV Berline (1937-1940)2. Citroen 2CV (1948–1990)
There is perhaps no more typical Citroën than 2CV. The duck is the target of funny comments, while it became perfectly famous, and mainly motorized France. Development began with the vision of a cheap reliable car for the rural mass, the first floating prototypes were hidden from the Germans during World War II. It was the battles that delayed the world premiere, between 1948 and 1990, about 3.8 million 2CVs were created, and the derivatives on the same platform could be up to twice as many. The factories were located in France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and in Chile and the former Yugoslavia. The air-cooled flat two-cylinder turned into a four-speed manual, which could be connected to the drive of both axles. The weight of the car reached about 600 kilograms, so the consumption was not high and thus managed to keep operating costs to a minimum.
Citroen 2CV3. Citroen DS (1955–1975)
Excitement and amazement from coming Citroën DS at the Paris Motor Show in 1955 may never be surpassed. The timing of the technically and design-revolutionary work turned out to be excellent, the philosopher Roland Barthes commented on the DS by saying that it probably “fell from the sky”. The aerodynamic body with closed rear wheels far ahead of time, the hydropneumatic suspension with automatic self-leveling and adjustable ground clearance was even more radical. The celestial phenomenon also had a power steering or brakes, along with the semi-automatic transmission, the owners and critics remained silent in amazement.
Within 15 minutes of the debut, 750 orders were received. At the end of the first day of the Paris show, the list of candidates grew to 12,000 names, and after the end of the exhibition, the carmaker registered 80,000 binding orders.
Citroen DS4. Citroen Xantia Activa (1994–2002)
The medium-sized hatchback and station wagon Xantia has been an acceptably shaped well-driving car from Bertoneho. The average creation, powered by a range of petrol and diesel four-cylinder engines in the volume range of 1.6 to 2.1 liters, would not have been on this list without the top version of the Activa. The flagship filtered inequalities with the phenomenal Hydractive II suspension, which was at the forefront of the development of the hydropneumatic system from France. Active chassis responses eliminated body tilt via hydraulic stabilizers. The ability to keep track in corners far exceeded the standard behavior of similarly spacious competitors, but beyond the limits of tire adhesion was the immediate understeer, which was difficult to predict precisely due to the absence of tilts. The brilliant but unsuccessful experiment remained mature in the museum, the carmaker did not use the technique in the upcoming models.
Citroën Xantia Activa V6 (1997)5. Citroën Ami (2020)
Citroën has produced millions of cars around the world in its 102 years of existence, and today almost 14,000 employees from all over the globe are looking after the continuation of the innovative company. After many years of shared platforms, Citroën has once again prioritized its own progressive strategy and a type has emerged Which. The futuristic attempt is not just a new car, but it is said to bring a completely new way of thinking about passenger transport in European cities. The small electric car celebrating the brand’s century has cheap to expand electromobility. Just as the magic of 2CV worked, Ami is to mobilize the urban population requiring clean transport over short distances.
To reduce production costs, we can see the unconventional “push-me-pull-you” design, which features the same front and rear of the car. The doors are also identical and a modest interior compatible with modern electronics was designed in the simplest way possible. Ami measures 240 cm and weighs less than half a ton, the 5.5 kWh battery is charged from a standard socket in three hours to a full range of 70 km, while in some places the driver can drive at speeds of up to 45 km / h.
Citroën Ami– .
