Background
Citroen was born on February 5, 1878 in Paris, France.
Citroen was born on February 5, 1878 in Paris, France.
As a young man Citroen studied engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique in his native Paris.
In 1908 he was given the responsibility of reviving the failing Mors automobile company. He was able to increase the yearly output nearly tenfold.
Citroën’s spectacular success prompted the French government to entrust him with a large part of munitions production at the beginning of World War I.
After the war, Citroën converted his munitions plant into an assembly line for the production of automobiles. His main objective was to mass produce an affordable, small automobile — the famous little Citroën, which sold for 17,700 francs. Of the 1,800,000 automobiles in France the year before his death (1934), one-third were Citroëns.
In 1922, Citroën sponsored the Citroën Central African automobile crossing — the first automobile trek across the Sahara desert. The significance of the journey was threefold. First, it showed that it was possible to establish rapid and permanent communications between Algeria and western Africa. Second, it established outposts along the great routes linking the African colonies. Finally, it opened the door to the use of the automobile as a vehicle for exploration throughout the world.
Also to Citroën’s credit were the first traffic-light system in Paris and the use of the Eiffel Tower for advertising by means of an electric marquee. He also presented Paris, with the fooldlighting for the Arch of Triumph and the Place de la Concorde.
In spite of all his successes, Citroën’s dreams proved too grand for the economy during the Depression. He continued to aim for expansion in the production of his car, but by 1934 was forced to turn over the majority of stock in his company to his biggest creditor, Pierre Michelin, head of the Michelin Tire Company.
Although the company recovered somewhat the following year, Citroën himself did not. His failure, one of the largest commercial disasters in French history until that time, left him broken and disillusioned.
His success in popularizing the horseless carriage in France earned him the nickname of the French Henry Ford.