As a well-known car brand in France, Citroen and Peugeot have won the favor of the French president many times, and have entered and exited the presidential residence Elysee Palace and become the head of state. What is it about Citroën and Peugeot that fascinates the president, and what are the models that have served as the car of the French president?
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2024, let's take a look.
1954 Citroën Traction: a symbol of status and status
Citroën's first presidential car originated in 1954, when Citroën built two Citroën Traction 15/6H luxury sedans for French President René Coty.
Citroen Traction 15/6H limousine
In the 40s and 50s of the 20th century, the Citroën front-wheel drive Traction 11CV and 15CV were also the royal vehicles of President Charles de Gaulle.
雪铁龙前驱车Traction 11CV
1970 Citroen SM: The French president is also a fan of TA
In 1968, Citroën acquired Maserati and upgraded the powertrain of Citroën models, resulting in the Citroën SM, a GT model that combined fashion, power and luxury at the time, which deeply attracted President Georges Pompidou.
Citroen SM
In 1970, the Citroën SM made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. It was even hailed by the press at the time as an unprecedented French automotive masterpiece since World War II.
French President Georges Pompidou did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to customize his own car. The car was chosen by subsequent presidents Giscard d'Estaing, Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac as the official event car.
1974 Citroen CX: European Car of the Year
The CX was the sixth generation of Citroën's premium model after the SM, and was voted Europe's "Car of the Year 1975" upon its launch, and won several major awards in motorsport for its excellent handling. As the highest-class sedan in France at the time, the CX was undoubtedly the exclusive car of French President d'Estaing.
Citroen CX
1989 Citroen XM: the royal car appointed by the President of France
It was named "Car of the Year 1990" as soon as it appeared, and was later appointed as the royal car by the French president, receiving countless flowers and applause.
Citroen XM
Luxurious texture and superior performance have won the favor of the Elysee Palace, and former French President Francois Mitterrand left the Elysee Palace in a Citroen XM, which also gave birth to the advertising slogan "At the important farewell moment of life, take a reassuring Citroen car and start again in the best condition." ”
Citroen C6: Witnessing the in-depth cooperation between China and France
As for the C6, the flagship model of Citroen, which we are most familiar with today, it is also a frequent visitor to the Elysee Palace. It is said that French President Jacques Chirac once ordered two.
Citroen C6
On July 14, 2006, a black bulletproof and brown glass Citroen C6 was used by Chirac to review the National Day parade, and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy often rode in a C6 car.
In addition, the Citroen C6 is also the car used by the French president to receive important foreign guests.
From the Peugeot 604 to the 5008, the presidential car is inseparable from the Peugeot brand
In addition to Citroen, Peugeot, another century-old French car brand, has also been in and out of the Elysee Palace many times and has become the royal car appointed by the French president.
President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who served from 1974~1981, prepared to revise the first EU constitution and established the European Monetary Union (EMU) with German Chancellor Schmidt, laying the foundation for the euro. The Peugeot 604 has witnessed this history as a presidential car on numerous diplomatic occasions.
Peugeot 604
Following the Peugeot 604, the elongated Peugeot 605 took over the role of "presidential car" in 1991 and became the exclusive car of François Mitterrand.
Peugeot 605
Later, at the request of President Nicolas Sarkozy, the Peugeot 607 walked out of the Peugeot Museum and officially appeared on the Champs-Élysées as a presidential car.
Peugeot 607
Currently, French President Emmanuel Macron has chosen Peugeot's flagship 5008 as his car and has attended the inauguration ceremony in it.
Peugeot 5008
After a hundred years of precipitation and inheritance, Citroen and Peugeot have repeatedly become the "French President's Car", not only because they represent the French automobile culture and industrial strength, but also because Citroen and Peugeot have the world's highest standard of manufacturing and quality assurance, especially in safety, environmental protection, driving and riding, with hard core strength and leading advantages.
Today, Dongfeng Citroen and Dongfeng Peugeot brands, both under DPCA, are continuing the dream of the legendary Citroen and Peugeot brands to China.
At present, all models of Dongfeng Citroen and Dongfeng Peugeot on sale have perfectly inherited the excellent genes of "French President's Car", and have been comprehensively upgraded in many aspects such as intelligence, safety configuration, fashion, technology, and comfort, bringing Chinese consumers the same French luxury driving experience as the French President.
It is worth mentioning that on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the 2024 Jiachen Year of the Dragon, DPCA also launched a series of activities of "Dragon Travel, Lion to Run", bringing consumers multiple luxury gifts such as "10,000 yuan red envelope subsidy for the purchase of a whole series of cars", "French-style film gift", "boutique blind box gift", etc., hoping that more people can take off in the Year of the Dragon, have good luck, easily drive a "quality car", and have a "taste year". If you also want to get the "French presidential car" on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, now is the best time to start.