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Citroën history
Citroën is an automobile brand founded in 1919 by André Citroën.
Find its history by decade
The history of Citroën from its beginnings to 1929

André Citroën created Citroën in 1919

In 1919, the first Citroën Type A came out through an original advertisement ... already

The Type A was equipped with a 4-cylinder engine allowing it to reach 65km/h

One year after its launch, Citroën has 10,000 sales and is making it known ...

On February 20, 1921, always to stand out, Citroën launched enamel plates to facilitate the orientation of motorists

On July 12, 1921, Citroën presented its second car, the B2. A more powerful and advanced version of Type A

On October 1, 1922, Citroën presents a third car based on the Type A: The 5HP

On October 12, Citroën inscribes its letters in the sky of Paris

On December 17, 1922, Citroën went even further and launched the crossing of the Sahara with a round trip: Touggourt - Tombouctou - Touggourt. The crossing will last until March 1923

André Citroën launched that year the manufacture of car toys, true copies of "papa's car". First model: the Torpédo B2 10HP. Over 30,000 vehicles will be sold in the first ten years.

01 October 2024: Citroën presents with the B10 its first all-steel bodywork which succeeds the mixed bodywork of wood and sheet steel.
On October 01, 1924, Citroën presented with the B10 its first all-steel bodies which followed the mixed bodies of wood and sheet steel.

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In 1924, In 1924, Citroën reached an annual production of 50,000 cars

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On October 28, 1924, Building on the success of crossing the Sahara 2 years earlier, Citroën launched the Black Cruise which, from October 28, 1924 to June 26, 1925, this time traveled the entire African continent from north to south from Columbus- Bechar to Capetown.

From July 4, 1925 to 1934, Citroën offered itself a grandiose publicity by writing its name on the Eiffel Tower in luminous letters 30 m high (250,000 bulbs and 600 km of electric wires). It is this light that guides Charles Lindbergh during the last moments of his crossing of the Atlantic.

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In 1925, Edition of the first repair dictionary and a catalog of spare parts for the use of dealers.


In 1926, official statistics on the number of cars per capita

On September 28, 1926, Citroën presented its B14, a mass market car treated as a luxury car. One of the greatest automotive successes of the inter-war period. But also the B15, the first French utility vehicle with a closed cab.

The Citroën company now has 31,000 workers and produces at a record rate in Europe of 400 cars per day.

On May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh, who made the first transatlantic flight, visited the Citroën factory.

8, C4 and C6, two new models that Citroën presents at the Paris Motor Show.

On March 16, 1929, the legendary Marbeuf garage was inaugurated. An architectural masterpiece that will pave the way for other emblematic places of the Brand.

On October 1, 1929, Faithful to his pioneering temperament, André Citroën opened the doors of his Quai de Javel factory to the public on the occasion of the motor show

In 1929, Launch of the C6 1, the first French fast truck. Payload: 1800 kg. 6 cylinder engine. 42 ch. All-steel inside driving cabin.