A traveling exhibition on the subject of "90 years of Citroën in Germany" was opened at the German headquarters of the PSA Group in the Gremberghofen district of Cologne. Although the first Citroëns were sold in Germany as early as 1923, the company's history there officially began with its entry in the commercial register of the city of Cologne on February 15, 1927.
Cologne's Lord Mayor Henriette Reker had the wrong audience. She greeted the grandson of company founder André Citroën, Henri-Jacques Citroën, who had come all the way from Paris, in proper French, but pronounced the family name as 'Zitröhn'. This caused some laughter among those present, without the mayor recognizing the reason.
Company historian Immo Mikloweit charmingly saved the day shortly afterwards by explaining that the people of Cologne now say 'Zitröhn' instead of 'Sitro-enn'. Later, the Lord Mayor joined Henri-Jacques Citroën and Citroën Germany Managing Director Wolfgang Schlimme in cutting a large birthday cake to open the traveling exhibition celebrating the company's 90th anniversary.
The oldest automobile company in Cologne
With its 90-year history in the Rhine metropolis, Citroën is the oldest automobile company in Cologne, explained the Lord Mayor, who expressly thanked Citroën for its support.r thanked the PSA Group for choosing Cologne as a location a few years ago following the merger of the two import companies of Peugeot and Citroën.
She also paid tribute to the modern views of company founder André Citroën, who had already shown himself to be a very socially committed entrepreneur in the 1920s with above-average wage payments, day nurseries and cars for all income levels.
First dealer as early as 1923
Germany's first Citroën dealership opened on Hohenzollernring in Cologne as early as 1923. Four years later, production began at the Citroën Automobil-Aktiengesellschaft on Holzweg in the Poll district. From April 1927, up to 500 employees built the Citroën B14 there.
By manufacturing in Germany, Citroën was able to avoid the high customs duties on imported cars at the time. Initially, the brand even advertised with the slogan 'The German Citroën', but this was no longer allowed to be used after a ruling by the competition.
Skilful advertising
André Citroën was considered a marketing and advertising pioneer at the time. There was no shortage of Citroën advertising in Germany either. Numerous Citroën advertising signs were displayed on one of Cologne's landmarks, the Hohenzollern Bridge, and advertising fleets with the latest Citroën vehicles were on the road throughout Germany.
With suppliers such as Krupp, Bosch and Continental, the Citroëns built in Cologne were produced entirely from parts manufactured in Germany, which in 1933 led to the advertising slogan 'all parts German, German suppliers' - in keeping with the trend of the time. In 1934, André Citroën visited the Cologne plant once again for the production start-up of his Type 7 Front with 1.5-liter engine. It was to be his last visit, as he died a year later and Citroën production in Cologne ended in the same year. From 1927 to 1935, a total of over 20,000 Citroëns of the B14, C4, C6, Rosalie and Traction Avant models as well as various commercial vehicles were built in Cologne.
A new start after the Second World War
Five years after the war, Citroën Automobil AG, sales company for Germany, was entered in the Cologne commercial register. The new start took place in the Cologne-Sülz district on the left bank of the Rhine.
In 1959, the company moved to Porz-Westhofen. From here, the import business developed very well with models such as the 2CV or the DS: sales figures rose from 1,242 vehicles in 1957 to 13,500 cars in 1967. Just eight years later, in 1975, after the first oil crisis, Citroën sold over 50,000 cars in Germany for the first time.
The popularity of the brand also continued in the 80s and 90s. In 2009, the previous record was reached with 101,370 new Citroëns. In the same year, the company was renamed Citroën Deutschland GmbH.
In 2013, the importer moved into a new building in Cologne-Gremberghofen together with Peugeot Germany, where all PSA brands now have their German headquarters.
Traveling exhibition
And a traveling exhibition has now been opened there to mark the brand's 90th anniversary in Germany. The company's history is presented in words and pictures on six panels, showing not only the model range over the course of time, but also photos of various dealerships.
Motorsport is not neglected either, with photos of the German Citroën Saxo Cup at the turn of the millennium, the Citroën Racing Trophy in German rallying in the recent past and the successes of Sébastien Loeb in the German World Rally Championship and José María López in the WTCC on the Nordschleife in the last two years.
They let themselves be driven
Henri-Jacques Citroën, grandson of company founder André Citroën, was delighted. "It's nice to see how my grandfather's legacy is being maintained here," said the Frenchman. "90 years is a long time, especially for a relationship like the one between Citroën and Germany." Citroën emphasized that his grandfather was not at all interested in driving. "He didn't like driving himself. There are hardly any photos of him at the wheel of one of his cars. He liked to be driven, either by the chauffeur or by his wife. It was also important to him to show that women could also drive without any problems, and of course especially with Citroën."
A look at the history
Many cars from Citroën's rich history were on display in the parking lot of the PSA company building: Several DS, a beautiful SM, an Ami6, a Méhari.
Inside, a B14 from Cologne production, a current C3 in Cologne's red and white colors, a 2CV in the same color combination and a CX from TV detective Schimanski were on display. Schimanski actor Götz George was a brand ambassador for Citroën in Germany for many years and the CX's television appearances contributed significantly to the brand's popularity.
Representing the particularly active Citroën club scene, Britta Becker was present at the opening of the exhibition as Chairwoman of Amicale Citroën Deutschland, the umbrella organization of Citroën clubs. The dealer organization was represented by the board of directors, including David Winter, Managing Director of the Darmstadt Citroën dealer Häusler Automobile. Citroëns have been sold there since 1928.
The traveling exhibition "90 Years of Citroën in Germany" will be on display at the Techno Classica in Essen at the beginning of April. It will then be shown at various dealerships throughout Germany.
