Press clippings: "Two new successes" — the launch of the CX 2000 and 2200 (1974)

In this document

The article, signed by Didier Merlin, presents the launch of the Citroën CX 2000 and CX 2200, presented here in two almost identical copies of the same text p. 29-30, followed by a page of real estate classifieds and miscellaneous news from the same newspaper p. 31, unrelated to the automobile.

An enthusiastic but nuanced reception

The author praises an "exceptional beauty" and refined aerodynamics, while worrying about the fiscal burden of cars of "11 and 12 CV" in the economic context of the time p. 29-30. He also mentions a box entitled "And the word given...", which recounts a deontological incident: some morning newspapers allegedly published before the agreed date, despite the invitation of four hundred journalists by Citroën p. 29-30.

Driving position and technology

A second section, "A state-of-the-art driving position", details the interior: "SM type" gear lever, short-travel brake pedal acting on 4 discs, power steering inspired by the SM, and above all the hydropneumatic suspension, presented as an improvement over the GS and the DS, both in terms of comfort and road holding p. 30. The tests took place in Lapland, near Kiruna, on a 420 km route including 60 km of dirt track p. 30.

Technical characteristics cited

p. 29-30

The article finally mentions the gain of 11 cm in height and 25 cm in length compared to the DS, thanks to the transverse arrangement of the engine inclined at 30°, and questions the future of the DSpecial and DSuper in the face of the newcomer p. 30.

Context

The CX was launched by Citroën in 1974 to succeed the DS, in a context marked by the first oil crisis, which explains the press's insistence on consumption and taxation. The brand had just stopped production of the SM, an implicit reference in the article. These general context elements do not belong to the document itself.

Archivist's view

This document illustrates, from the point of view of media reception, the echo given to the engineering work carried out at Citroën — the hydropneumatic suspension, a system to which Paul Magès devoted a large part of his career, is described here as a source of technical pride p. 30.

The double copy of the same article suggests a practice of conservation by redundancy, perhaps for internal or documentary use. It usefully complements the Citroën internal bulletin no. 081 (August 1974), devoted to the same launch from the company's side, by offering this time the external view of the general press.