Editing Citroën (section)

====Traction Avant====
The [[Citroën Traction Avant|Traction Avant]] is a car that pioneered the mass production of three revolutionary features that are still in use today: [[unibody|a unitary body with no separate frame]], four wheel [[independent suspension]] and [[front-wheel drive]]. Whereas for many decades, the vast majority of motor cars were similar in conception to the [[Ford Model T]] – a body bolted onto a [[Vehicle frame|ladder frame]] which held all the mechanical elements of the car, a [[Suspension (vehicle)#Suspension geometry|solid rear axle]] that rigidly connected the rear wheels and [[rear wheel drive]]. The ''Model T school'' of automobile engineering proved popular because it was considered cheap to build, although it did pose dynamic defects as automobiles were becoming more capable, and resulted in heavier cars, which is why today cars are more like the Traction Avant than the Model T under the skin.
In 1934 Citroën commissioned the American [[Budd Company]] to create a prototype, which evolved into the 7 fiscal horsepower (CV), {{cvt|32|hp-metric|kW|0}} Traction Avant.

{{multiple image
|align     = center
|direction = horizontal
|image1    = Citroën Traction Avant convertible.JPG
|width1    = 155
|caption1  = Pre-war [[Citroën Traction Avant]] Cabriolet
|image2    = Citroen B11 Sport 4-Door Berline 1951.jpg
|width2    = 260
|caption2  = [[Citroën Traction Avant]]
|image3    = Citroën Traction Avant Légère rear.JPG
|width3    = 225
|caption3  = [[Citroën Traction Avant]] Légère rear view
|image4    = 1956 Citroen Traction Avant - blue - svr (4637749504).jpg
|width4    = 180
|caption4  = 1956 [[Citroën Traction Avant]]
}}
Achieving quick development of the Traction Avant, tearing down and rebuilding the factory (in five months) and the extensive marketing efforts, were investments that resulted too costly for Citroën to do all at once, causing the financial ruin of the company. In December 1934, despite the assistance of the Michelin company, Citroën filed for bankruptcy. Within the month, [[Michelin]], already the car manufacturer's largest creditor, became its principal shareholder.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/heritage_citroen.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100823084352/http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/heritage_citroen.htm| archive-date = 23 August 2010| title = Citroën Heritage}}</ref> However, the technologically advanced [[Citroën Traction Avant|Traction Avant]] had met with market acceptance, and the basic philosophy of cutting-edge technology used as a differentiator, continued until the late 1990s. [[Pierre Michelin (businessman)|Pierre Michelin]] became the chairman of Citroën early in 1935. [[Pierre-Jules Boulanger]], his deputy, became the vice-president and chief of the engineering and design departments. In 1935, the founder [[André Citroën]] died from stomach cancer.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/culturallifeofau0000giuc|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/culturallifeofau0000giuc/page/61 61]|quote=stomach .|title=The Cultural Life of the Automobile: Roads to Modernity|last=Giucci|first=Guillermo|date=1 August 2012|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=9780292737846|language=en}}</ref>