Citroën Internal Information No. 078 of 7 May 1974: the French automobile industry in the 1st quarter of 1974

In this document

Production and market in the 1st quarter of 1974

The bulletin details the production marketed by French manufacturer in the first quarter of 1974. Citroën-Berliet totalled 203,427 vehicles (- 4.19% compared to 1973), against 424,721 for Renault-Saviem (+ 6.5%), 196,607 for Peugeot (- 5.76%) and 144,836 for Chrysler-Simca (- 10.83%) p. 47.

In terms of exports, Citroën-Berliet fell by 11.66% (86,986 vehicles), in a context of a general decline in French exports (- 10.83% in total) p. 47.

French registrations for all brands fell by 8.1% for passenger cars, with a particularly bad month of March (- 20%), while commercial vehicles increased by 8.5% p. 47.

Models and markets

Demand for small Citroën vehicles stabilized in France but increased in Europe, particularly in Germany for the 2 CV, as well as in Holland, Belgium and Italy p. 47-48. Sales of the GS gradually reached the 1973 level in France, with a predominance of the GSpécial, and broke records in Belgium and Holland p. 48. The C 35 commercial vehicle received a very good reception, while the SM was the subject of sales projects in Japan p. 48.

Commercial and social actions

An advertisement published in 68 daily newspapers promised delivery of a 2 CV "in less than a month" to counter an image of long lead times p. 49. The "GS Week-end" operation (18 May-23 June) offered free loans of equipped GSpécials p. 48.

The document also mentions the modernization of the network (194 sites in 1974, 186,000 m²), the training of apprentices in seven branches since October 1973, an "Electronic Control" campaign that reached more than 40,000 vehicles p. 49, the Ligier-Maserati partnership around the SM powertrain p. 49, the relocation of the BERI to Le Kremlin-Bicêtre p. 50, and the results of the staff representative elections in the Paris region p. 50.

Context

The first quarter of 1974 took place in the midst of the oil crisis, which disrupted the French automobile market: rising fuel prices, restrictions and changing purchasing habits towards more economical vehicles. This general context, external to the document, sheds light on the mention of stable or growing demand for small Citroën models such as the 2 CV and the GS.

The SM, mentioned in connection with Japan and the Ligier-Maserati partnership, is the high-end coupé launched by Citroën in 1970, then owner of Maserati — an industrial association that would end shortly after this period, in the broader context of the financial difficulties of the Citroën group which would lead to the merger with Peugeot announced at the end of 1974.

This May 1974 bulletin was published a few months before Paul Magès' retirement in September 1974, after a 49-year career at Citroën (photographs of the retirement ; letter from Mr. Meignan).

Archivist's perspective

This internal bulletin, one of the many issues of Informations Intérieures distributed to Citroën staff, offers a valuable snapshot of the group's commercial and social management at the end of the oil shock. It does not mention Paul Magès or his technical work; its interest for the Magès collection is therefore indirect, documenting the industrial and commercial context in which the engineer's technical innovations were inscribed, notably via the GS and the SM which incorporated his hydropneumatic suspension, at the very end of his career at Citroën.

The Ligier-Maserati partnership p. 49 reminds us that the SM engine, a flagship product associated with Magès' research on road handling, was then spreading to other manufacturers. This document can usefully be compared with bulletin No. 079 of 11 June 1974 which continues the monthly monitoring of the market, as well as the message from François Rollier of 24 June 1974 announcing shortly after the merger with Peugeot, of which we can perceive the economic beginnings here.