Citroen were always the pioneers when it came to the manufacture of original cars and some of their ideas have been adopted and developed by other manufacturers, even though it sometimes took many years for them to catch on. A Citroen was always instantly recognisable due to the distinctive styling, which meant that conservative and patriotic British car buyers missed out on the supreme comfort and ride quality of a Citroen. They also didn't experience the many innovations incorporated - just look at the DS - unless other "mainstream" manufacturers learned from them.
To give a few examples, front wheel drive is the norm on modern cars but even in the 1970's most cars were generally rear wheel drive. Citroen were the first to begin manufacturing front wheel drive mass produced cars in 1934 with the Traction Avant. It had a monocoque body, aerodynamically styled whereas other cars were still square and upright. With regard to aerodynamics, a British family car didn't equal the aerodynamic efficiency of the DS until the (rear wheel drive) Ford Sierra of 1983.
Renault 4
Renault, another French company, launched a car aimed at the same niche market as the 2CV in 1961. The Renault 4 even had similar seats, a dashboard mounted gear lever and handbrake and soft, long-travel suspension. The publicity was also the same as the 2CV's. It was the company's first front wheel drive car. It had a water cooled four cylinder 845cc engine and a hatchback bootlid. In 1971 Renault began production of the Renault 4 Rodeo (similar to Citroen's Mehari) and it too had a self-coloured plastic body. Planned as a refined version of the 2CV, but not as economical, the Renault 4 was very popular in France. It was produced until the early 1980's but it has not become collectable and there are very few on the British roads compared to the 2CV.
The headlamp beam control on the dashboard is now a common feature of modern cars but such a device was designed for the 2CV of 1948. Most other cars could only have the headlamp beam altered with awkward adjustments of the screws on the headlight unit. The 2CV, although often left behind at the traffic lights by modern cars, is actually ahead. The 2CV has always had independent suspension all round. The Traction Avant had independent front suspension in 1934 and in recent years more new car manufacturers have been advertising the fact that their cars have independent rear suspension or even independent suspension all round.
Rover P6
In 1963 the Rover car company of the UK produced the P6. The construction and style of the P6 bodywork was based on the Citroen DS. During the development process, Rover considered using Citroen's hydropneumatic suspension or something similar of their own design on the P6 but decided it would frighten off potential customers. The P6, with in-board front disc brakes, was one of Rover's best sellers until it was replaced in 1976.
In 1976 Citroen came up with the idea of a "special edition" produced in limited numbers, the 2CV SPOT. It was a white and orange 2CV with stripes on the side and SPOT decals. It also had orange seats and a striped sun blind inside the roof. Later special editions followed across the Citroen range. Other manufacturers also started producing special limited edition cars and it is something that is still happening today, often as end of line models are sold off as special editions.
Nissan S-Cargo
In 1989 Nissan produced the S-Cargo light van. As indicated by the name, being a pun on the French word escargot (meaning snail), it was an obvious attempt at bringing the style of the 2CV van to a new generation in Japan. The headlamps and the exterior lines of the vehicle were not the only similarities. Although it had the luxury of air-conditioning and a stereo radio, it featured minimalist instrumentation and a dashboard mounted gear selector. There was also a single spoke steering wheel in the tradition of classic Citroens.
A double page newspaper advertisement in February 2000 for the Vauxhall Zafira [an Opel is badged as a Vauxhall in the UK] shows that it has taken a while for other manufacturers to realise seats can be designed to fold away:
"...the seats have disappeared under the floor thanks to Flex7 technology. And, what's more they took just seconds to get there. Putting them back upright, it says here, is just as simple. Pull this tab here and... amazing. Now we have seven seats instead of five."
"So there you have it: an MPV where you can remove the seats without actually removing the seats. Genius. It's so simple, why didn't anybody think of it before?"
Obviously Citroen thought of it before. Over 40 years before. The DS range included the Safari estate, launched as a high capacity load and people carrier. The seats in the rear could be folded flat into the floor and could be unfolded just as simply. Then you had seven seats instead of five. Alternatively all of the rear seats could be folded flat. Then you had two seats instead of seven. It's so simple, why didn't Vauxhall try it sooner?
Vauxhall Astra
It didn't have a sophisticated air cooled engine and hydropneumatic suspension but its appearance sometimes led to it being mistaken for the Citroen GS when it was first launched in 1984. The Mk2 Vauxhall Astra or, as it was known outside the UK, Opel Kadett.
The DS had self-levelling suspension in 1955. Slowly other manufacturers are designing suspension that can vary the height and keep the car level. Four years after the 1996 launch of the Citroen Xantia Activa with Active Roll Control Suspension, Mercedes stated the following about the new CL Coupe:
"...innovations you won't find on any other automobile in the world are standard on the Mercedes coupe..."
"...the totally new suspension system called Active Body Control (ABC) that makes for unparalleled comfort and stability..."
The Audi Allroad Quattro, a vehicle designed for off-road use, has "state of the art, four-position, height adjustable air suspension". With switches on the dashboard, the driver can vary the ride height between 5.6 and 8.2 inches or it can be automatically adjusted as road speed increases. The air spring system used in the Audi was developed and manufactured by an independent company. In the Citroen DS, from 1956, the driver was able to vary the height, if necessary between 3.2 and 11.1 inches, with a lever for the five-position self-levelling hydro-pneumatic suspension system, designed and produced by Citroen with safety and comfort in mind.
I would like to have added a little paragraph about other improvements in suspension but I'm not aware of any manufacturer attempting to produce an affordable car with the same ride comfort and roadholding of a Citroen. It appears that the majority of car buyers today prefer to feel every bump in the road. After travelling in a 2CV or DS (or any true Citroen) and then driving another car, the superb ride quality of the Citroen is immediately appreciated.
Surprisingly, something never copied by other manufacturers was the design of self-levelling headlights and lights that change direction with the steering wheel. Citroen's lights were designed this way from 1968 on the DS and from 1970 on the SM. Perhaps by 2008 other manufacturers will have caught up and there might be self-levelling headlights and lights that change direction (with the aid of simple and cheap electronics).
Chrysler CCV
The "Composite Concept Vehicle" was designed to demonstrate DaimlerChrysler's new methods of thermoplastic injection moulding and produce a car that was recyclable. The CCV was unveiled in 1997 as a durable utility vehicle with extra ground clearance that could be driven on poor roads. Manufacturing methods were aimed to appeal to developing nations requiring basic and affordable transport that was easy to assemble.
Chrysler purchased and dismantled a Citroen 2CV in 1994 and the CCV was their modern interpretation of the 2CV concept of the 1930's which was adapted it to suit their marketing needs of 1997. The CCV also had a two cylinder air cooled engine. It was only a concept and did not begin production due to safety legislation.
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