The French car maker Citroen was founded in the year 1919 by Andre Citroen. Today, Citroen is part of the larger PSA Peugeot Citroen group. Its headquarters are in Paris, France, on the rue Fructidor.

Citroen started out as a mass market automobile manufacturer with cars that had relatively straightforward design schemes. But in the year 1934, Citroen made international headlines when it introduced the world’s first mass production front wheel drive car, the Traction Avant – a major innovation for its time.

Up until the 1980s, Citroen had a reputation for being an incredibly unique designer of cars. Some of its more innovative models include the H Van, the 2CV, the CX, and the DS. In more recent years, the company has had to struggle a bit to retain its previous image while also competing in the mainstream auto market. They have regained some of their previous success in the 2000s.

Founder Andre Citroen started out by making armaments for France during the Great World War. Afterwards, he had no more products to make, but still had a factory, so he began making cars, beginning with the conventional type A Citroen.

The Citroen logo, known as the double chevron, is a reference to Citroen’s early work on the double helical gear. There are many contrasting theories on the origens of this logo, however. Andre Citroen had been a well known Freemason attached to the Parisian lodge of La Philosophie Positive. Some contend that the Citroen logo is a Masonic symbol – a double Masonic compass, which is associated in masonry with the symbolism of the architect’s tools.

Citroen was a wise marketer. He was the first to make use of the Eiffel Tower as the largest advertising sign in the world. Citroen was also a sponsor of expeditions in Africa and Asia early on.

Above - The Citroen C6 which is designed to be an alternative to BMW or Mercedes saloon's whislt being reasonably priced.