Covid-19: ‘Citroën Origins’ is being expanded with INA archives and the ‘(Pop)ulaire’ podcast with Luc Ferry

Launched in 2016, the Citroën Origins virtual museum is a special place providing an immersive experience of the Brand’s heritage. In this museum, anything goes, even taking the wheel of iconic Citroën models.

LEARNING ABOUT CITROËN FROM THE INA’S AUDIOVISUAL ARCHIVES

During this period of lockdown in so many countries across the world, information and access to content are both at the heart of our daily lives. After having opened its newsroom which looks at the present and the future, Citroën is also offering the chance to explore the past with its Citroën Origins virtual museum which, from today, is being expanded with audiovisual archives from the INA (National Audiovisual Institute) with VINTAGE RECORDS.

This journey through time is organised around 5 subjects to learn about over the months:

1. BACK TO CITROËN & YOU: Or how the Brand has always supported our lives: Red Cross vehicles, first postal vehicles, holiday trips, etc.
2. BACK TO CITROËN & CELEBRITIES: From Pompidou via Roland Barthes or Bourvil, many leading figures have driven Citroën vehicles.
3. BACK TO CITROËN & THE FUTURE: Design and technology are features of Citroën’s history, as the gems from the INA will illustrate.
4. BACK TO CITROËN & ADVENTURE: Looking back at images from the epics, crossings and other motoring adventures which the Brand has distinguished itself in, across all continents since its creation.
5. BACK TO CITROËN & RECORDS: Races and rallies, Citroën’s sporting successes also give us the chance to look back via images.

The first archives from LA SÉQUENCE VINTAGE are now available: http://www.citroenorigins.co.uk/en/landing/vintage-records/

CITROËN DECIPHERED IN 5 PODCASTS: (POP)ULAIRE WITH LUC FERRY

A 2^nd meeting point is also now available on Citroën Origins in the form of brand-new podcasts: (POP)ULAIRE with the French philosopher Luc Ferry. In 1919, André Citroën gave his name to the automobile brand which he had just created, but he also gave himself a mission: to make the motor vehicle accessible to as many people as possible. From that moment on, Citroën has asserted its status as a popular brand. But what are the driving forces behind popularity?
Luc Ferry answers this question via 5 podcasts of around 5 minutes, broadcast each week from 9 April on Citroën Origins.
With (POP)ULAIRE, the philosopher, who regularly puts his learning to use in the interests of understanding the world and current affairs in Le Figaro, provides a reflection which is simultaneously historic, philosophical, but also technical. Because, and this is less well-known, he is also the son of an automobile converter and is himself an experienced driver.
In the podcast, he analyses popularity in all of its aspects and showcases Citroën’s iconic models:

• Episode 1: How does a brand become popular?
• Episode 2: Being popular means being universal. Just like the 2CV became, with over 5 million units sold.
• Episode 3: Being popular means being useful. Just like the Type H would be from its launch in 1948.
• Episode 4: Being popular means staying popular over time. Just like is the case with the Méhari.
• Episode 5: Being popular means being a symbol. Just like DS has become, with its design and its technology.

Throughout this series produced with elegant motion design videos, Luc Ferry combines memories, knowledge and philosophical reflection with free rein. Five episodes which take us to the roads of the South of France or Switzerland, through space and time, for one of these great motionless journeys that we can still go on, even during lockdown.

THE CITROËN ORIGINS VIRTUAL MUSEUM

Launched in 2016, Citroën Origins is a real virtual museum which brings together a collection of over 80 iconic Citroën vehicles. It is accessible in 65 countries, with 2.7 million visits since its launch. It provides an innovative, immersive experience on board the models, in 3D (interior/exterior) and in sounds.

In 2019, the year of the Brand’s centenary, the website showcased fans from across the world, with its series Citroën Generations. Ten videos to rediscover in light of the lockdown, to take you from Japan to Italy, via Slovenia and the United States. From collectors to family businesses, the stories are as varied as the accounts are colourful!