He loves posing under his grandfather’s portrait. Except for the hat and mustache, Henri-Jacques Citroën’s resemblance to André, founder of the automobile manufacturer, is striking. Fans of the chevron brand love it. On Saturday, October 5, the National Group of Citroën and DS Agents – 3,000 members – celebrated its 40th anniversary in his presence at the Pavillon d’Armenonville, in Paris. The organizers had 500 boxes printed for Henri-Jacques Citroën to autograph. At 1:30 am, he was still at his table signing…
For him it has become a habit. Since the brand’s centenary, in 2019, it has paid tribute to it. “Citroën is the most collected brand in the world”remember, proud of his power of attraction. He lists the examples: the Rally of the Century in La Ferté-Vidame (Eure-et-Loir) in July 2019, 11,000 collectors and 60,000 visitors, the inauguration in Glowno, Poland, of an André-Citroën square with an enthusiastic public – The herringbone gear that gave identity to the brand was invented here – or the 90th anniversary of the Traction Avant in Charade (Puy-de-Dôme), in May 2024, with a thousand cars and more than 20,000 visitors…
The fervor of the public gave this social media champion an idea: bring his grandfather to the Pantheon, which still does not host any businessman or industrialist. She would join her great friend, Joséphine Baker. It would also be the promise of revenge against Stellantis, which does not pay much attention to the brand’s past.
Carlos Tavares, general director of the group, did not travel for the Meeting of the Century, the grandson regrets. At the last Rétromobile, the classic car show at the Porte de Versailles, at the end of January, Citroën and Peugeot were conspicuous by their absence. When Henri-Jacques Citroën wrote to the head of Stellantis to deplore this, he received a written response, advising him to contact the European Commission and China, whose respective regulations and ambitions force car manufacturers to reduce their costs. ..
green cruise
While at the BMW stand at the Paris Motor Show, Charlie Cooper, grandson of John Cooper, engine manufacturer of the Mini, will be present to defend the colors of this car, Henri-Jacques Citroën is not invited by Citroën, which returns without embargo. to the logo from its beginnings: circular chevrons, which are found on the front of the ë-C3, the group’s new electric city car. “It is the year of brand renewal”promises Thierry Koskas, its director, much less focused on nostalgia than Henri-Jacques Citroën. His grandfather also had a big flaw in the eyes of the current leaders of Stellantis, obsessed with profitability and margins: he lost money and his company ended up in the hands of Michelin.
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