Did Citroen innovation end with the SM? | FerrariChat

Did Citroen innovation end with the SM?

Discussion in 'General Automotive Discussion' started by bitzman, Aug 9, 2022.

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  1. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    #1 bitzman, Aug 9, 2022
    Not on fchat, there is no subject heading French Cars. They are ignored, I briefly drove an SM a half century ago and think it's a car worth remembering. (In fact my boss at Motor Trend got fired for making it Car of the Year, when they only bought a half age ad) Are there French car clubs in the US? When i read the foreign fashion mags, i am impressed by the latest French cars shown there (Renault Alpine for instance) Why aren't French car companies trying to come to the US? (I heard Peugeot is thinking of it --Peugeot first started selling cars in America in 1958 and last withdrew in 1991. It acquired Citroën in the 1970s, spun off the DS brand in 2015, and bought the bulk of GM's European operations (including the Opel and Vauxhall brands) in 2017) Do the French automakers have much of a stake in electric cars? I gotta admit that the TV series Alice in Paris piqued my interest in LaBelle France again...
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  2. Merak1974

    Merak1974 Formula 3

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    Gabriel R.G. Benito
    #2 Merak1974, Aug 10, 2022
    French car brands have never done well in the US market; their products have not been developed with that market in mind, and have just been seen as too quirky by US car buyers.

    However, Stellantis - the amalgamation in 2021 of PSA (Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, etc.) and FCA (Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles) - is well represented in the US. An increasing number of the group's models will be based on the same platforms and drive trains. Hard to see the re-introduction of French brands in the US as commercially viable though.
     
  3. Merak1974

    Merak1974 Formula 3

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    #3 Merak1974, Aug 10, 2022
    On the title of the thread: No, Citroen innovation did not end with the SM. Even though Citroen's new owner from 1975, Peugeot, applied the brakes on Citroen's innovativeness, the CX (the successor of the DS) and the BX (the successor of the GS) were highly innovative cars too. Later cars, such as the XM, the Xantia, and the C6, were also quite distinct.
     
  4. mgr201

    mgr201 Rookie

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    #4 mgr201, Aug 10, 2022
    My first car was a 1976 Peugeot 504. It was bright red with a tan velour interior, had no air conditioning and a manual choke like an old lawn mower. It needed to have its thermostat changed twice a year from the “summer” to the “winter” version and back again as the seasons changed or it wouldn’t function. It was unique, weird, achingly slow but rather pretty and incredibly comfortable. It was quite a thing to behold in the high school parking lot when compared to all the “bitchin’ cameros”, pick up trucks and Mom’s old mini vans that most of my peers drove. I loved that car. It was eventually junked after it rusted out, sprung a gas leak and almost immolated my father.


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  5. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
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    #5 tbakowsky, Aug 10, 2022
    I like the SM. I really do..better suspension then a Rolls. Would never ever own one..ever. I'll go to car shows and gawk and admire..and leave the problems to others.
     

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