André Citroën (1878-1935), graduate of France's foremost engineering school, was head of a gearing factory on the quai de Grenelle. The V-shaped (herring-bone) double helical gears he produced would become the company's symbol.

1906	The automobile manufacturer Mors contacted André Citroën, who became their managing director, and totally reorganised manufacturing techniques, creating new models and multiplying production figures.

1915

The outbreak of the war upset everything. With foresight, André Citroën immediately had a vast factory built on waste land and garden allotments on the quai de Javel. This factory, with light-weight structures, produced 10,000 shells per day. The work force was female: "munitions girls", for whom André Citroën built changing rooms, showers and a restaurant ("Javel's electric canteen"), as well as an infirmary. He was ahead of his time, and set up a support system for pregnant women, with bonuses during pregnancy, at the child's birth, during convalescence and the nursing period.

1917	With all these mechanical and social amendments, production climbed to 55,000 shells per day..

1919

Citro'n took advantage of post-war optimism and economic incentive to invest in a new and growing sector : transport, and in particular, the expanding automobile industry. The factory at Javel was re-converted over a four month period, and André Citroën established his own trademark. He believed the automobile would be a common tool, cutting across social class, and, thanks to mass production, a means to freedom. While travelling in 1912, he took note of how F.W. Taylor's theories were applied in Ford's factories, intending to use the same methods to lower a car's cost. As with his munitions factory, he shifted from old-fashioned methods of production to mass production in a short time. A fervent believer in publicity, André Citroën was careful to take out a full page advertisement to announce the forthcoming " first mass produced French car" : the 10 HP Type A or Torpedo. Mich designed a poster showing cars hatching out of eggs, produced by a hen with a chimney pipe in its head, symbolising the factory : "André Citroën's Factory lays x 10 HP automobiles per day." This was the first car entirely produced, ready to buy, straight off the assembly line, with car body, five wheels, headlights and electric starter, ready to drive... The next car commercialised was the 7CV, an inexpensive model accessible to an even greater number of buyers. The sales figure targeted was 100 cars per year (as opposed to the average 24 at the time). The "Citroën" Electricity Plant built in Clichy was seen as a true electrical fairy-tale palace. 1000 Citro'n dealers were on hand , equipped with spare parts, a regularly updated Repairs handbook (because of numerous innovations) and a guarantee of fair pricing across the country. Citro'n also offered free check-ups, a year's full guarantee and standard exchanges.

1921

The highly popular 5CV was nicknamed "little Lemon" ("petit Citron") because of its' yellow paintwork, then later "Trefle" ("Clover") because of its three seats. André Citroën relied on advertising, and commissioned the agency Wallace and Draeger for that purpose. Whole publicity pages were bought in the dailies, then brochures were printed, and hand-outs, even books... sent by the millions to prospective clients, whose addresses were logged in files. This was the beginning of customer mailing ! This big scale venture led André Citroën to start up his own printing firm : André Citroën Editions.

1922

Citro'n was on the spot at the International Automobile Show, ready to promote their cars. An airplane spelled out the company's name in the sky, smoke trail covering 5 kilometres. Citroën brought out the B2 Normande for rural customers. ""Farmers, men of Progress, you have already replaced man's labour by the machine. Why not replace your horse by one when you have to go to market? Try out the automobile." These open roofed, tarpaulin covered B12s or B13s differed from the Torpedoes because of their iron bodywork. "Citroën : silent, comfortable, sturdy and shock-resistant!" After passing her driving test and getting her licence on a B14, Josephine baker sang at a banquet : "I have two lovesÉ my country and my Citroën". During that same year, Torpedoes with one, two and three seats were launched, then commonly called C, C2 and C3. After an agreement with the Pont et Chaussées (Government service responsible for roads etc.), Citroën sent out street signs with the Citroën symbol to counties who asked for them. Thus, on cross-roads, dangerous turns, entrances into villages, one could come across one of the 150,000 signposts with the Citroën trademark (the herring-bone), which had become synonymous with road safety and know-how. "Dangerous Bend - Slow Down - Thanks to Citro'n"... Citro'n inaugurated the hire-purchase system, after founding taxi services and setting up a French bus network throughout the country. A Citro'n bus Type 45 took part in the Warsaw/Monte Carlo Rally "without a single penalty throughout the race.".

1923

Citroën factories produced 200 cars daily. From the beginning, small mechanical models of the car were sold, guaranteeing free advertising for the company. Pedal-cars were also available, and later "citroënettes" with electrical engines! Citroën launched their caterpillar-wheeled car to conquer the desert , and performed the first Sahara crossing by car, from Algiers to Timbuktu. Once a month, daily newspapers devoted their last page to the in-house Citro'n journal called : the House Organ.

1924	The "Black Expedition" was inaugurated, a journey across Africa from North to South, from Colomb-Béchar to Tananarive.

1925

B10's, B12s and B14s were commercialised. Citroën invented advertising in lights when the company lit up the Eiffel Tower with glowing letters spelling out "Citroën", 30 meters high, and requiring 200,000 light bulbs! The experiment was renewed for several years running. The "Yellow Expedition" went from Beirut to Peking, crossing the Himalayas and the Gobi desert en route. Each of these expeditions were prepared by Georges-Marie Haardt, and Father Teilhard de Chardin took part in the last one. Each expedition gave rise to a "documentary film." Whatever method could be dreamed up to create publicity for the make was considered valid : when Citro'n won an important game at the casino in Deauville, he left bonds for the employees - for their own 5CV; He also set up a jury of singer-songwriters, to award a prize (called a Citroën, of course) to whoever came up with the most amusing material about Citro'n and his factories. During the Christmas season, window displays in the major department stores were decorated with animated settings displaying Citro'n factories and expeditions. The growing Citro'n network now included 5000 dealers.

1927	After crossing the Atlantic, Lindbergh was invited to the Javel factory. The next day, newspaper headlines read " Lindbergh visits Citroën", and some of the aviator's glory rubbed off onto the Citroën image.

1928

In Paris, on the Place de l'Europe, Citroën opened the biggest automobile emporium in the world (400 meters long). Films were shown there, like "Petite Rosalie", produced by Yacco Oils, showing the little car beating the world record (300,000 km) in Montléry. Concerts by Citroën Harmony were recorded there, and records sent out to faithful customers.

1929	Production hit the 100,000 cars per year mark.

1932

The new versions of the C4 and C6 were equipped with the "floating engine" - which was quieter. Production, having climbed to over 100,000 cars per year in 1929, dropped to 48,000, because of the Depression. Citroën remained optimistic. In five months, the Javel factory was entirely renovated, with a view to producing 1000 cars per day.

1933

Artist Pierre Loüys designed a poster for the 8CV in the "Petite Rosalie" series, promoting the racing car's speed and reliability. Citroën aimed to associate its' sports models fame to its' utility vehicles range: " Little Rosalie's chassis is absolutely identical to cars we deliver daily to our customers."

1934

La Traction, or the 7CV, bore a great number of innovations : front wheel drive (concept which today is the general rule in car manufacturing) and a low-set body (therefore without a running board - another change). This revolutionary car was designed by André Lefebvre and Gabriel Voisin, and met with great success at the Auto Show.

1935	Despite all this, André Citroën was forced into liquidation. He handed his shares over to Michelin (who had previously helped him) and retired from the scene. He died only a few months later. Soon after that, banks agreed to the first in a series of loans. Pierre Michelin took Citro'n's place.

1937	After Pierre Michelin's sudden death, Pierre Boulanger took control of the company, and launched a new project, one which André Citroën had already dreamed up : a "very little car".

1948	The 2 CV was presented at the Auto Show.

1955	The DS, designed by Lefebvre under Director Pierre Bercot's guidance, was launched.

1969

The Ami 8 station wagon was commercialised as a car with the following qualities : beauty, comfort and speed. "A car called Pleasure." Drawings were still used to promote this car : "Try the Diane 6, the only wool stocking to run at 115 Kph!"

1974

The CX, equipped with a diesel engine (like Rosalie in André Citroën's day) was presented by Peugeot's George Taylor : "What's the point of Progress, if you don't make the most of it?"

1976

A first poster showed a yellow car on a blue background, but non-identifiable, being blurry. The caption read : "A new 8 CV?" A second poster showed the same car, photographed from the same angle, but this time, clearly recognisable both from its' outline and the caption : "Citro'n Visa : now that's a car!"

1978	Advertising for the GS was simple : "Anti-boredom", or again "Anti-fuss". In another advert for the GS, designed by the Dupuy-Compton agency, a red carpet was rolled out in front of the car.

1979

A young woman introduced the LNA : "Men say : Hmm, an integrated electric starting system. I say : she always starts at the word go." The cartoonist Hergé designs a poster with Tintin and Snowy in a LN in Africa!

1980	Promotion for the Visa Super E was based on low cost, small size and minimal gas consumption : "Citroën presents the low calorie car!"

1981

Citro'n made the most of recently acquired fame to present the new Visa II by playing on seduction symbols (with the label's trademark) : an apple for "pleasure", a rose for "beauty". Savignac designed a series of drawings for posters based on the theme and slogan : "1981: Forward with Citroën "... then continues with " Forward with Economy", Aerodynamics etc.

1982

Advertising for the BX, over Julien Clerc singing "J'aime, j'aime, j'aime", was elaborated according to the four elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Air, and on the duality of love and life... The ads were based on the concept that "to be" was ever victorious over "to have". Two media were used: posters and film. The commercial was seen as an elaboration of the poster campaign, which it described and explained : the history of a couple's escape in their car, which "lives" and "dreams". The Visa GTI was presented as a magnificent, spirited wild animal : "A lovely monster", "a gorgeous animal", "a true beast". The car was catapulted onto the bridge of an aircraft-carrier, speeding through the air faster than a jet!

1983

The Citroën engine's poster impact relied on the CX Diesel Turbo presented as a wild beast. The car lunged out from the poster, sharp teeth and headlight-eyes blindly gleaming, like an aquatic monster : "the Turbo-shark".

1984

The Citroën BX was presented in Tony Scott's commercial film as a viable and economical car, because it didn't stop in the desert's one and only petrol station. In car advertising terms, a new phase was reached with the Visa. After giving cars a human personality, the next step was gender : the Visa was presented as being a "curvy, well-rounded passer-by"...the commentary was explicit : "Great behind"... and "Flirt with me! Visa... she'll leave you breathless!"

1985

"Wild Herring-bone", institutional film made by RSCG's Creative Director, Richard Raynal, presented the company's logo in such a way as to upgrade the firm's image. Fifty horses burst out from an underground car-park to gallop across a sleeping city to a desert where they move into formation, making up the double V or herring-bone trademark. This film met with great success, and was awarded numerous prizes : the Lion d'Or at Cannes, the first 7 d'Or in Advertising, the Minerve d'Or (along with Lajaunie), and first prize at Avoriaz...

1986

Citro'n begins its' campaign to promote the Visa : a pastry chef behind a Visa's wheel, driving along a cobblestone street with a wedding cake in the back... "When a car can absorb jolts like this, it must be a Citro'n." Or the car emerges from a labyrinth "A car this sensitive must be a Citroën." RSCG used Grace Jone's amazing sculpted beauty and savage side to promote the CX2, in posters and in a commercial made by Jean-Paul Goude, in his usual aggressive-aesthetic style. In 1984, the CX GTI Turbo shot out of Grace Jones' open mouth with the slogan "Diabolical!" "200 km/h". This year, with the slogan "Go", the model demonstrates the Turbo engine, and with "Stop" Grace Jones demonstrates the ABS effectiveness. "Wild Beauty" "220 km per hour" ... The campaign was banned in Holland, Germany and in Switzerland, where it caused a scandal.

1987

Citroën AX continues its' Yellow Expedition by roaring along the Wall in China... with the commentary : "Revolutionary!"... accompanied by the Citroën logo. The AX Sport adopted the same slogan, but geared to a sports model : "Evolutionary".

1988	A commercial filmed in Tibet by Jerome Lapenousaz shows on of the Dalai lama's genuine representatives, sitting among monks, blessing the AX five door, in the forbidden Temple of Potala, in Lhassa. The limited edition of AX Kways were launched.

1990

The BX Image was filmed in close-up, at dusk, with a single slogan : "Ask for the Moon". In another commercial, thanks to its' blinking bright headlights, the BX comes to the rescue of a ship lost in a storm. "Citroën invents personalised limited editions..." AX Spot, AX Thalassa, AX Toni "The King in town"

1991

A commercial with the slogan "Road mastery" compared a painting by Arman (valued at 700,000 F) with a Citroën XM (costing 124,200 F): "One can purchase a valuable piece of work for less than 125,000 F" ZX won the Paris-Dakar race, and Gérard de Thame made a series of commercials based on that triumph.

1992

ZX won the Paris-Peking race, and publicists immediately transferred some of that glory to the leisure ZX : "The ZX Volcano is bound to remind you through and through of a certain tried and true racing car..."

1993

"You can't imagine everything Citroën can do for you" became a catch phrase in a new campaign launched throughout Europe to attract a younger clientele. Ridley Scott's film for the Xania was accompanied by theme music from "Chariots of Fire", in a new version arranged by its' composer, Vangelis. The idea of this commercial originated with earlier publicity for the BX. An eclipse: "the exceptional moment when nature's forces combine to give rise to rare phenomena… a mountain rises up out of the Xantia. The same full-page article about the Xantia appeared in several newspapers on the same day, and in the same spot in the paper... but using different typesets. The slogan "The car for people who don't want to throw all their money away on a car" was illustrated by a family car towing a huge sailing boat. Three commercials for the ZX were based on road security, strengthened by " a powerful four wheel drive" which that model alone possessed. Snoopy (the famous comic strip character) lying on the roof of his doghouse, snoresÉ producing ZX's inside a thought bubble, as an off screen radio announces terrible traffic jams. For the poster campaign, Citroën went back to its' initial road sign tactics, with the Citroën herringbone trademark: "Citroën wishes you all a safe journey, and a great vacation".

1994

" Citroën Evasion, the car for freedom-minded people"... Euro RSCG made the Citroën Evasion synonymous with a particular generation : people who were 20 years old in the 70's, now forty, with their own families. The first poster showed a 60's-70's police wagon...as the first "monospace" car. The commercial, made by Michael Hausman, used the Buffalo Springfield song "For what it's Worth", relying on Flashback : three couples of young hippies, who have since become laid back bourgeois, burst out laughing as they remember their escapade in the back of the police wagon, but History repeats itself.. as their car (an Evasion) crashes into the back of a police wagon. Posters and radio announcements used the same idea : "Citroen Evasion is a sturdy, resistant structure, ready to withstand shocks of all kinds - because today you're more concerned about protecting your family than your ideals..." with a photograph of a May 68 demo inside a Peace and Love symbol. Citroën angled Xantia advertising on passive security (reinforced passenger compartment) and active security (brakes and suspension): illustrated by the car swerving to avoid an obstacle. "The unexpected...", a Tony Kaye commercial, unfolded like a hallucination. A rabbit stuck on the road, a wolf, a horse, a deer, a little girl... the unreal atmosphere was reinforced by various techniques : filmed in black and white, the film was electronically coloured. Quick cut editing and framing accentuated this impression. Clementine Celarié's husky voice, over music from Emmanuel Chabrier's "Espana" contributed to the overall surreal effect. Sebastien Chantrel's commercial proved the XM's comfort : a young man in a Venetian salon tests out a diverse series of locomotive means, and tries out their discomfort : from a pedal-car to a tank, including the dodgem car...) until he discovers the perfect car : the XM.

1995

Posters for the Xantia Station Wagon, using black and white photos, were aimed at the widest possible audience. A woman having her palm read : "Life is full of unexpected dangerous turns. You should put luck on your side..." Another woman, seen from the back in a hammock beside a swimming pool, with her small children. "She gave you her heart, and four beautiful children… Lots of suitcases." Or another : a little girl standing above a Metro air vent in the sidewalk, giggling as her skirt billows up in the air : "You asked your daughter what she would take with her to a desert island. She answered: her bike." "You can't imagine everything Citroën can do for you." For TV commercials, film-maker Tarsem illustrated this spacious and sophisticated car's selling points with pertinent images : over one long tracking shot in black and white, a rather pretentious voice reads out the advertisement's text, as key words come up on the screen in raised letters. Typography plays with varying characters : bold type face, dotted lines, arrows... Black humour was used in some of Euro RSCG's ten spots to stress the Xantia Station Wagon's benefits : ample space, easy loading for the trunk, and road security. For example, one commercial showed the car being used as a funeral hearse. "If you truly appreciate a station wagon's ample inside space, you ought to choose it for road safety too." To promote the Xantia Activa "the first car to turn on a pin", a photo showed Carl Lewis in close-up, alongside the car on the start line "Miss the turn on a 200 meter track, and you're in trouble. Do the same thing on a road… it's much worse." Peter Smillie's commercial showed the encounter between two heroes: Zorro and ZX. Bernardo, the mute valet, makes gestures recommending the car's hold on the road to his master, who signs ZX with the tip of his sword before driving off… towing his faithful horse in a wagon behind! "She signs her name on every dangerous Z turn... with a ZX." Same image, same slogan for the poster campaign.

1996

Steve Williams' commercial for Saxo parodied a number of Hollywood films (The Mask, Batman, Abyss, What's New Pussycat?) The Saxo Diesel poster campaign accentuated the quiet engine, using visuals and a punchline : a horse's mouth muffled with a silk scarf : "A 58 horse power engine... which is very quiet."

1997	In an American hospital, a comatose patient shudders at the sound of the name Xantia V6 : "magical, statuesque..." This commercial has been used and reused, thanks to the popular TV series "Emergency Ward".

Citroën cars have given rise to a great deal of passion, even adoration... fans gather together every year for the Citromobile. From early days, this automobile manufacturer has been linked to the petrol company Total. "Citroën prefers Total."

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