The French have a reputation for being a little quirky when it comes to car design, with Citroen perhaps the most quirky of all. So why shouldn’t the French brand celebrate the birthday which hasn’t been available to buy for almost thirty years?
On September 23, 1982, Citroën debuted the BX at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. A week later, the vehicle was on sale at the 69th Paris Motor Show, where it was unveiled. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the BX's introduction, The Citroën BX project, code-named XB, was created to make an innovative, unconventional vehicle. To save on fuel costs and improve acceleration, BX's transverse-engine design was intended to be lightweight. In addition to being a 5-door hatchback Citroën automobile, BX was equipped with a hydropneumatic suspension system to provide comfort and excellent handling.
BX, PSA’s first car, was created with the aid of CAD (computer-aided design), a cutting-edge technology at the time, to enhance the car’s design and vitality. Powerful engines were available from the beginning (62 bhp and 72 bhp 1360 cc, 90 bhp 1580 cc).
BX noticed that Citroën was entering the upper-middle-class vehicle market. It intended to become the GSA's successor by guaranteeing comfort, dynamism, and economy of use, in addition to a new shape with serious technical credentials.
The designers at Bertone were hired by Citroën to create the BX. Marcello Gandini came up with a distinctive design for the car that stood out in the automotive world at the time. On the dashboard, the CX-inspired dashboard had distinctive features such as satellite controls on either side of the steering wheel and a backlit tachometer.
BX was an immediate success when it debuted in 1984, winning over consumers, seducing the press, and winning new clients. In spite of the fact that production finally terminated in June 1994, over 2,337,000 units were sold. The Citroën brand was revitalized in the 1980s due to the popularity of BX.