Interesting TV Documentary: “Louis Renault – André Citroën: La Course Du Siècle”
This Wednesday December 14th, the French TV network France3 will broadcast an outstanding feature on the history of Citroen and Renault. For those who are able to record the production, get ready at 20:30h CET to hear about the rather rarely known history of the early last century.
Translated by ACI-D S. Joest from the feature text:
“Renault and Citroen – Two world-famous brands. Just like the Eiffel Tower these jewels of the automotive industry are part of the French Heritage. And yet, who knows Louis Renault and André Citroën, the founders of these brands? What is left in our memories of the history of the two biggest industry leaders that France has ever known?
The two rivals shared the benches of the Lycee Condorcet. They built and managed two world-class industrial empires. They were fierce competitors, while shaping the country’s industrial history. They were two geniuses who invented the modern automobile and which their products contributed to their creators’ demise…
As in a classical tragedy, the life of Louis Renault and André Citroën is a dark and intimate taste of ashes of lost times. Never in France had men left with so little and yet reached so high. Never have powerful men ultimately lost everything, almost at the same time.
The terrible economic crisis of the 30s also affected Citroën. Ruined, he died in July 1935, months after he lost control of his company to Edouard Michelin. Ten years later, Louis Renault, locked in the prison of Fresnes for collaborating with the enemy, died in a clinic of a brain hemorrhage before he could defend his honor.
This film is the story of two destinies that mingle with the tragic fates France and the world in the first half of the twentieth century. The story of an amazing industrial adventure in a world shaken by economic crisis and two world wars.”
So – get your PVRs ready and record a piece of history documentation!
Enjoy!
From: Stephan Joest
Amicale Citroen Deutschland.
UPDATE — Dec. 26, 2021: You can view Part 1 online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vORrq1c_qBE and Part 2 here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwiu1a
Enjoy!
I once managed to get a hold of a Peugeot corropate representative, and it’s basically because they feel they could not compete in the American auto market. Right off the bat, they would have to submit at least 3 of every single model they intend to sell to the NHTSA for crash testing (in other words, 3 cars of every model would be destroyed).Peugeot and Renault would make the jump if they felt they could make more money, which I certainly feel they could now. However, their executives have come to a different conclusion, but it’s not an illogical one.Peugeot did used to sell in the U.S. car market, but they never did garner enough sales. Have a look at the first source. A similar thing happened to Renault but even earlier. Unlike Peugeot, which garnered at least some support in the U.S., Renault simply could not gain any sort of a foothold. Indeed, it would appear the Peugeot company proper is simply not interested in the American market and the only reason they were ever here was due to French government coercion.