Citroën was founded in 1919. Its founder, André Citroën, had built armaments for the French military during the first world war and decided to move his company into car production once hostilities were over.

His first car was the Citroën Type A, a 10hp car designed to be better but cheaper than any rival. Citroën began selling them from a showroom on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, a building which is still used by the company today.

André Citroën was an innovator, and his cars pioneered many new features that would become standard over the decades. But his insistence on selling his cars cheaper than those of rivals led to major losses. In 1934 the company faced bankruptcy and was bought out by tyre manufacturer Michelin. André Citroën died in the following year.

In the aftermath of the second world war, Citroën launched one of its most famous cars – the very basic, very cheap 2CV. Intended to allow French farmers to replace their horses with cars, it became a cult phenomenon and would stay on sale until 1990 with nine million made. It was the DS of 1955 that had a more significant effect, however. Not only was it highly aerodynamic compared to rivals, it introduced self-levelling hydro-pneumatic suspension. On turning the key, the car would raise itself to its travelling height, which could be adjusted by the driver. The system would be fitted to more than nine million Citroën cars over the next few decades.

But the company’s financial position was never far from trouble. Citroën bought Italian sports car maker Maserati in 1968, only to sell it again in 1975. At the same time, Fiat took a 49% stake from Michelin, only to sell it back again five years later, and shortly after Citroën again faced bankruptcy.

At this point the French government, fearing huge job losses, stepped in and Citroën was merged with its great rival Peugeot. Peugeot and Citroën cars became increasingly similar to one another, the innovative nature of the latter diluted. This was partly addressed in 2009 with the launch of sub-brand DS Automobiles – recalling the classic DS of the early 1950s and boasting a slogan ‘Spirit of Avant-Garde’. DS was subsequently spun off into a separate brand, but remains closely connected to Citroën.

The Stellantis era
Today, Citroën is just one brand within the giant Stellantis group, along with sister brands Peugeot and DS Automobiles. The Stellantis umbrella also encompasses car brands as diverse as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jeep and Vauxhall, which means that modern Citroëns can share their underpinnings with a wide range of different vehicles.

While this is good for keeping costs down and improving reliability across all of the related brands, it does mean that Citroën has struggled to maintain a clear identity as just one brand in a large family.