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79-662: The Citroën DS ( French pronunciation: [si.tʁɔ.ɛn de.ɛs] ) is a front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations, across three series of one generation. Marketed with a less expensive variant, the Citroën ID , the DS was known for its aerodynamic, futuristic body design; unorthodox, quirky, and innovative technology, and set new standards in ride quality , handling , and braking, thanks to both being

158-411: A servo system . These systems have a direct mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the linkage that steers the wheels. This means that power-steering system failure (to augment effort) still permits the vehicle to be steered using manual effort alone. Electric power steering systems use electric motors to provide the assistance instead of hydraulic systems. As with hydraulic types, power to

237-534: A " magic carpet ". The hydropneumatic suspension used was pioneered the year before, on the rear of another car from Citroën, the top of range Traction Avant 15CV-H. The 1955 DS cemented the Citroën brand name as an automotive innovator, building on the success of the Traction Avant , which had been the world's first mass-produced unitary body front-wheel-drive car in 1934. In fact, the DS caused such

316-411: A 1959 ID19 was US$ 2,833 ($ 29,611 in 2023 dollars). Contemporary journalists said the DS pushed the envelope in the ride vs. handling compromise possible in a motor vehicle. To a France still deep in reconstruction after the devastation of World War II, and also building its identity in the post-colonial world, the DS was a symbol of French ingenuity. The DS was distributed to many territories throughout

395-551: A DS19 to victory in 1962. In 1966, the DS won the Monte Carlo Rally again, with some controversy as the competitive BMC Mini -Cooper team was disqualified due to rule infractions. Ironically, Mini was involved with DS competition again two years later, when a drunk driver in a Mini in Sydney Australia crashed into the DS that was leading the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon , 158 km (98 mi) from

474-560: A cheaper submodel, the Citroën ID, was introduced in 1957. The ID shared the DS's body but was less powerful and luxurious. Although it shared the engine capacity of the DS engine (at this stage 1,911 cc), the ID provided a maximum power output of only 51 kW (69 hp) compared to the 56 kW (75 hp) claimed for the DS19. Power outputs were further differentiated in 1961 when

553-514: A contemporary example being the Mercedes-Benz SLC (C107) . BMW follows a similar strategy of a mid-size sedan (5 series), large coupe (6 series), and large sedan (7 series) sharing common underpinnings. The SM's high price and limited utility of the 2+2 seating configuration meant the SM as actually produced could not seize the mantle from the DS. While the design funds invested would allow

632-600: A different purpose than replacing the 15-year-old DS design, however – it was meant to launch Citroën into a completely new luxury grand touring market segment . Only fitted with a costly, exotic Maserati engine, the SM was faster and much more expensive than the DS. The SM was not designed to be a practical 4-door saloon suitable as a large family car , the key market for vehicles of this type in Europe. Typically, manufacturers would introduce low-volume coupés based on parts shared with an existing saloon, not as unique models,

711-408: A huge sensation that Citroën was apprehensive that future models would not be of the same bold standard. No clean sheet new models were introduced from 1955 to 1970. The DS was a large, expensive executive car and a downward brand extension was attempted, but without result. Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, Citroën developed many new vehicles for the very large, profitable market segments between

790-571: A hydraulic system to assist the driver of the vehicle . Sensors detect the position and torque exerted inside the steering column, and a computer module applies assistive torque via the motor, which connects either to the steering gear or steering column. This allows varied amounts of assistance to be applied depending on driving conditions. Engineers can therefore tailor steering-gear response to variable-rate and variable-damping suspension systems, optimizing ride, handling, and steering for each vehicle. This new technological feature also gave engineers

869-484: A powerful advertisement for the capabilities of the radial tyre Michelin had invented, when such experimentation was successful. New models based on the small, utilitarian 2CV economy car were introduced, such as the 1961 Ami . It was also designed by Flaminio Bertoni and aimed to combine Three-box styling with the chassis of the 2CV. The Ami was very successful in France, but less so on export markets. Many found

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948-536: A rack assist without a clutch was put into practical use in the Honda NSX (initially installed in automatics only). Since then, there has been a transition of trend from brush-attached motors to brushless motors in the rack type for ordinary vehicles and this method has become the mainstream. Other electric power steering systems (including 4WS) later appeared on the Honda NSX after 1990, the Honda Prelude and

1027-457: A simplified power braking system. An engine-driven pump pressurizes the closed system to 17.2 MPa (2,490 psi) At a time when few passenger vehicles had independent suspension on all wheels, the application of the hydraulic system to the car's suspension system to provide a self-levelling system was an innovative move. This suspension allowed the car to achieve sharp handling combined with very high ride quality , frequently compared to

1106-414: A two-part frame with a rugged hinge in the middle; this hinge allows the front and rear axles to become non-parallel to steer the vehicle. Opposing hydraulic cylinders move the halves of the frame relative to each other to steer. The first power steering system on a vehicle was apparently installed in 1876 by a man with the surname of Fitts, but little else is known about him. The next power steering system

1185-480: A vehicle, such as an automatic transmission , air conditioning , power windows , or a powerful engine. The DS was designed specifically to address the French market, with punitive tax horsepower taxation of large engines and very poor roads, and not for a market where those constraints were removed. Front-mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout In contrast to the front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (FF),

1264-475: A version with four exposed headlights that did not swivel was manufactured for the US market. Although a directional headlight was previously seen on the 1948 Tucker 48 'Torpedo', Citroën was the first to mass-market adaptive headlights. The original hydropneumatic system used a vegetable oil ( liquide hydraulique végétal , LHV), but later switched to a synthetic ( liquide hydraulique synthétique , LHS). Both had

1343-564: Is proportional to road speed, so that at low speeds the steering is very light, and at high speeds it is very difficult to move more than a small amount off centre. It was invented by Citroën of France. This system was first introduced in the Citroën SM in 1970, and was known as 'VariPower' in the UK and 'SpeedFeel' in the U.S. Electro-hydraulic power steering systems, sometimes abbreviated EHPS, and also sometimes called "hybrid" systems, use

1422-470: Is required or not, and this is a major reason for their introduction. Another major advantage is the elimination of a belt-driven engine accessory, and several high-pressure hydraulic hoses between the hydraulic pump, mounted on the engine, and the steering gear, mounted on the chassis. This greatly simplifies manufacturing and maintenance. By incorporating electronic stability control electric power steering systems can instantly vary torque assist levels to aid

1501-405: Is the medium by which pressure is transmitted. Common working liquids are based on mineral oil . Some modern systems also include an electronic control valve to reduce the hydraulic supply pressure as the vehicle's speed increases; this is variable-assist power steering. DIRAVI innovated the now common benefit of speed sensitive steering . In this power steering system, the force steering

1580-704: The Canadian Intellectual Property Office in 1958. Starting in the mid-1950s American manufacturers offered the technology as optional or standard equipment while it is widely offered internationally on modern vehicles, owing to the trends toward front-wheel drive , greater vehicle mass, reduced assembly line production costs, and wider tires , which all increase the required steering effort. Heavier vehicles, as are common in some countries, would be extremely difficult to maneuver at low speeds, while vehicles of lighter weight may not need power assisted steering at all. A study in 1999 on

1659-525: The Golf Mk3 Ecomatic , with an electric pump. This meant that the power steering would still operate while the engine was stopped by the computer to save fuel. Electro-hydraulic systems can be found in some cars by Ford , Volkswagen , Audi , Peugeot , Citroën , SEAT , Škoda , Suzuki , Opel , MINI , Toyota , Honda , and Mazda . Electric power steering ( EPS ) or motor-driven power steering ( MDPS ) uses an electric motor instead of

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1738-457: The Traction Avant predecessor, there was no top-of-range model with a powerful six-cylinder engine. Citroën had planned an air-cooled flat-6 engine for the car, but did not have the funds to put the prototype engine into production. The DS placed third in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, and fifth on the 2005 list of "100 Coolest Cars" by Automobile Magazine . It was also named

1817-483: The center of mass of the engine is behind the front axle. This layout is typically chosen for its better weight distribution (the heaviest component is near the center of the car, lowering its moment of inertia ). Many early successful (and mostly French) mass-produced front-wheel drive cars used the MF layout, until the 1959 BMC (Austin / Morris) Mini demonstrated the layout and passenger car packaging benefits of mounting

1896-493: The electronic stability control system to alter steering gear ratios and steering assist levels. In 2003, BMW introduced " active steering " system on the 5 Series . This system should not be confused with variable assist power steering, which varies steering assist torque, not steering ratios, nor with systems where the gear ratio is only varied as a function of steering angle. These last are more accurately called non-linear types (e.g. Direct-Steer offered by Mercedes-Benz );

1975-576: The "DSpecial DeLuxe" that were not available on domestic European models. Until 1965 UK cars were assembled at the manufacturer's Slough premises, to the west of London, using a combination of French-made knock down kits and locally sourced components, some of them machined on site. A French electrical system superseded the British one on the Slough cars in 1962, giving rise to a switch to "continental style" negative earthing. An intermediate model between

2054-516: The 1967 Series 3 facelift. Citroën built 1,455,746 examples in six countries, of which 1,330,755 were manufactured at Citroën's main Paris Quai de Javel (now Quai André-Citroën ) production plant. In combination with Citroën's proven front-wheel drive, the DS was used competitively in rally racing during almost its entire 20‑year production run, and achieved multiple major victories, as early as 1959, and as late as 1974. It placed third in

2133-401: The 1999 Car of the Century poll recognizing the world's most influential auto designs and was named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine. The name DS and ID are puns in the French language. "DS" is pronounced exactly like déesse , lit.   ' goddess ' , whereas "ID" is pronounced as idée ('idea'). After 18 years of secret development as

2212-461: The 2CV and the DS, occupied by vehicles like the Peugeot 403 , Renault 16 and Ford Cortina , but none made it into production. Either they had uneconomic build costs, or were ordinary "me too" cars, not up to the company's high standard of innovation . As Citroën was owned by Michelin from 1934 to 1974 as a sort of research laboratory, such broad experimentation was possible. Michelin was getting

2291-513: The British and American armies. Chrysler Corporation introduced the first commercially available passenger car power steering system on the 1951 Chrysler Imperial under the name "Hydraguide". The Chrysler system was based on some of Davis' expired patents. General Motors introduced the 1952 Cadillac with a power steering system using the work Davis had done for the company almost twenty years earlier. Charles F. Hammond from Detroit filed several patents for improvements of power steering with

2370-501: The British market were imported fully assembled from the company's French plant. The British-built cars are distinguished by their leather seats, wooden (early ID19 models) or one-piece plastic (early DS19 models) dashboards, chromed number plate mount set into the front bumper, and (on pre-1962 cars) Lucas -made electrics. These were all right hand drive cars. The DS was built and sold in South Africa from 1959 to 1975. The DS

2449-634: The DS and the ID, called the DW , was introduced on the UK market in 1963 with a manual transmission and simpler foot-operated clutch while retaining the DS power unit, power steering and power braking; outside of the UK this model was known as the DS19M . When the 1985 cc engine replaced the original 1911 cc unit in September 1965 the manual-equipped DSes built in Slough were renamed DS19A . The Slough factory closed on 18 February 1966 and thereafter cars for

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2528-453: The DS featured innovative centerlock wheels which used a captive allen bolt as the central fastener whilst a hexagonal protrusion transferred the drive to a matching recess in the wheel. This made it possible to change the wheel very quickly in the event of a puncture and proved an advantage in motor racing . As with all French cars, the DS design was affected by the tax horsepower system, which effectively encouraged smaller engines. Unlike

2607-458: The DS to be replaced by two cars, a 'modern DS' and the smaller CX , it was left to the CX alone to provide Citroën's large family or executive car in the model range. The last DS came off the production line on 24 April 1975 – with Citroën building up approximately eight months of inventory of the 'break'/'Safari' (estate/station wagon) version of the DS, to continue sales until the autumn of 1975 when

2686-579: The DS to travel quickly on the poor road surfaces then common in France. In addition, the vehicle had power steering and a semi-automatic transmission (the transmission required no clutch pedal but gears still had to be shifted by hand, with the shift lever controlling a powered hydraulic shift mechanism in place of a mechanical linkage). It had a fibreglass roof which lowered the centre of gravity, and so reduced weight transfer . Inboard front disc brakes (as well as independent suspension) reduced unsprung weight. Different front and rear track widths reduced

2765-431: The DS19 acquired a Weber-32 twin bodied carburettor, and the increasing availability of higher octane fuel enabled the manufacturer to increase the compression ratio from 7.5:1 to 8.5:1. A new DS19 now came with a promised 62 kW (83 hp). The ID19 was also more traditional mechanically: it had no power steering and had conventional transmission and clutch instead of the DS's hydraulically controlled set-up. Initially,

2844-672: The MF layout, and almost all manufacturers currently fit transverse engines. Examples of road cars using the MF layout include the Cord 810 , BSA Scout , Citroën Traction Avant , Citroën DS , Renault 4 (and derivatives R5 and R6), Renault 16 , Saab 900 Saab Sonett mk1, the Citroën SM , and the Mitsubishi FTO , as well as some commercial vehicles like the Tempo Matador. These vehicles have longitudinal mounted engines; transverse engined vehicles are possible in theory if

2923-623: The RZ 450e featuring a steer-by-wire system which eliminates the mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the wheels, marking a significant advancement in power steering technology. In 2000, the Honda S2000 Type V featured the first electric power variable gear ratio steering (VGS) system. In 2002, Toyota introduced the "Variable Gear Ratio Steering" (VGRS) system on the Lexus LX 470 and Landcruiser Cygnus, and also incorporated

3002-942: The Subaru SVX in 1991, the Nissan 300ZX (Z32; after the Version 3 onwards), Silvia, Skyline, and the Laurel in 1993, the MG F, the FIAT Punto Mk2 in 1999, the Honda S2000 in 1999, Toyota Prius in 2000, the BMW Z4 in 2002, and the Mazda RX-8 in 2003. The system has been used by various automobile manufacturers, and most commonly applied for smaller cars to reduce fuel consumption and manufacturing costs . In 2023, Lexus introduced

3081-468: The Year" for 1971 and sold 2.5 million units. It combined a small 41 kW (55 hp) flat-4 air-cooled engine with Hydropneumatic suspension . The intended 79 kW (106 hp) Wankel rotary-engined version with more power did not reach full production. The DS maintained sales and remained competitive throughout its production run. Its peak production year was 1970. Certain design elements like

3160-426: The ability to add new driver assistance features. This includes features such as lane assist, wind drift correction, etc. On Fiat group cars the amount of assistance can be regulated using a button named "CITY" that switches between two different assist curves, while most other EPS systems have variable assist. These give more assistance as the vehicle slows down, and less at faster speeds. A mechanical linkage between

3239-595: The actuator (motor, in this case) is controlled by the rest of the power steering system. Other power steering systems (such as those in the largest off-road construction vehicles) have no direct mechanical connection to the steering linkage; they require electrical power. Systems of this kind, with no mechanical connection, are sometimes called " drive by wire " or "steer by wire", by analogy with aviation's " fly-by-wire ". In this context, "wire" refers to electrical cables that carry power and data, not thin wire rope mechanical control cables. Some construction vehicles have

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3318-454: The basic ID19 was sold on the French market with a price saving of more than 25% against the DS, although the differential was reduced at the end of 1961 when the manufacturer withdrew the entry-level ID19 "Normale". A station wagon variant, the ID Break , was introduced in 1958. The ID was replaced by the D Spécial and D Super in 1970, but these retained the lower specification position in

3397-413: The bottom end usually resists being rotated, the bar will twist by an amount proportional to the applied torque. The difference in position between the opposite ends of the torsion bar controls a valve. The valve allows fluid to flow to the cylinder which provides steering assistance; the greater the "twist" of the torsion bar, the greater the force. Since the hydraulic pumps are positive-displacement type,

3476-472: The disadvantage of being hygroscopic . Disuse allows water to enter the hydraulic components, causing deterioration and requiring expensive maintenance. The difficulty with hygroscopic hydraulic fluid was exacerbated in the DS/ID due to the extreme rise and fall in the fluid level in the reservoir, which went from nearly full to nearly empty when the suspension extended to maximum height and the six accumulators in

3555-498: The driver in corrective maneuvers. In 1986, NSK put the world’s first electric power steering system for battery forklifts into practical use. In 1988, Koyo Seiko (currently JTEKT) and NSK co-developed a column system exclusively for minicars sold only in the domestic market of Japan. The first-ever electric power steering system for mass-produced passenger cars appeared on the Suzuki Cervo in 1988. However, this simple method

3634-413: The driver's compartment but fully behind the front axle line also qualifies as mid-engine . Power steering Power steering is a system for reducing a driver's effort to turn a steering wheel of a motor vehicle , by using a power source to assist steering . Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver can provide less effort to turn

3713-450: The driver, steering assist loss may or may not lead to a crash. The difficulty of steering with inoperative power steering is compounded by the choice of steering ratios in assisted steering gears vs. fully manual. The NHTSA has assisted car manufacturers with recalling EPS systems prone to failure. Electric systems have an advantage in fuel efficiency because there is no belt-driven hydraulic pump constantly running, whether assistance

3792-543: The engine stalled. In 1988, the Subaru XT6 was fitted with a unique Cybrid adaptive electro-hydraulic steering system that changed the level of assistance based on the vehicle's speed. In 1990, Toyota introduced its second-generation MR2 with electro-hydraulic power steering. This avoided running hydraulic lines from the engine (which was behind the driver in the MR2) up to the steering rack. In 1994 Volkswagen produced

3871-511: The engine transversely in front of the front axle. At first – when well executed – the packaging, space utilization and user experience of MF layout, even in a subcompact or supermini, like the Renault 16 or Renault 5 , made many people consider the differences between the FF and MF layouts to be minor. However, the mid-engined layout uses central space. The FF layout has since completely supplanted

3950-518: The estate/station wagon version of the CX would be introduced. The DS maintained its size and shape, with easily removable, unstressed body panels, but design changes occurred. During the 20-year production, improvements were made on an ongoing basis. The 1955 DS19 was 65% more expensive than the car it replaced, the Citroën Traction Avant . This affected potential sales in a country still recovering economically from World War II, so

4029-521: The finish line. Robert Neyret won the Rallye du Maroc in 1969 and 1970 in a DS 21. The DS was still competitive in the grueling 1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally , where it won over 70 other cars, only 5 of which even completed the entire event. In conventional cars, hydraulics are only used in brakes and power steering . In the DS they were also used for the suspension, clutch, and transmission. The cheaper 1957 ID19 did have manual steering and

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4108-429: The first mass production car equipped with hydropneumatic suspension , as well as disc brakes . The 1967 series 3 also introduced directional headlights to a mass-produced car. Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car, and Paul Magès developed the hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension . Robert Opron designed

4187-438: The first practical power steering system. Davis moved to General Motors and refined the hydraulic-assisted power steering system, but the automaker calculated it would be too expensive to produce. Davis then signed up with Bendix , a parts manufacturer for automakers. Military needs during World War II for easier steering on heavy vehicles boosted the need for power assistance on armored cars and tank-recovery vehicles for

4266-427: The flow rate they deliver is directly proportional to the speed of the engine. This means that at high engine speeds the steering would naturally operate faster than at low engine speeds. Because this would be undesirable, a restricting orifice and flow-control valve direct some of the pump's output back to the hydraulic reservoir at high engine speeds. A pressure relief valve prevents a dangerous build-up of pressure when

4345-476: The hydraulic cylinder's piston reaches the end of its stroke. The steering booster is arranged so that should the booster fail, the steering will continue to work (although the wheel will feel heavier). Loss of power steering can significantly affect the handling of a vehicle. Each vehicle owner's manual gives instructions for inspection of fluid levels and regular maintenance of the power steering system. The working liquid, also called " hydraulic fluid " or "oil",

4424-531: The hydraulic seals very quickly. To help avoid this problem, Citroën added a bright green dye to the LHM fluid and also painted all hydraulic elements bright green. The earlier LHS parts were painted black. All models, including the station wagon and ID, were upgraded at the same time. The hydraulic fluid changed to the technically superior LHM in all markets except the US and Canada, where the change did not take place until January 1969 due to local regulations. The DS

4503-539: The issue of passenger footwell location is addressed. The Toyota iQ comes close to this by having its front differential in front of the engine, however despite this, the iQ is still considered to have an FF layout . Traditionally, the term mid-engine has been reserved for cars that place the engine and transaxle behind the driver and in front of the rear axles , as in the Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari Testarossa , but an engine placed in front of

4582-422: The more fluid the valves allow through to the cylinder, and so the more force is applied to steer the wheels. One design for measuring the torque applied to the steering wheel has a torque sensor – a torsion bar at the lower end of the steering column. As the steering wheel rotates, so does the steering column, as well as the upper end of the torsion bar. Since the torsion bar is relatively thin and flexible, and

4661-426: The most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine after a poll of 20 world-renowned car designers, including Giorgetto Giugiaro , Ian Callum , Roy Axe , Paul Bracq , and Leonardo Fioravanti . The DS was successful in motorsports like rallying , where sustained speeds on poor surfaces are paramount, and won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1959. In the 1000 Lakes Rally , Pauli Toivonen drove

4740-406: The perceptual fidelity of steering force feedback, found that ordinary real-world truck and car drivers naturally expect an increase in feedback torque as speed increases, and for this reason early forms of power steering, which lacked such effect, were met with disapproval. Hydraulic power steering systems work by using a hydraulic system to multiply force applied to the steering wheel inputs to

4819-482: The range. The D Super was available with the DS21 2175 cc engine and a 5-speed gearbox, and named the D Super 5. In September 1962, the DS was restyled with a more aerodynamically efficient nose, better ventilation, and other improvements. It retained the open two headlamp appearance, but was available with an optional set of driving lights mounted on the front fenders. All models in the range changed nose design at

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4898-429: The same hydraulic assist technology as standard systems, but the hydraulic pressure comes from a pump driven by an electric motor instead of a drive belt at the engine. In 1965, Ford experimented with a fleet of "wrist-twist instant steering" equipped Mercury Park Lanes that replaced the conventional large steering wheel with two 5-inch (127 mm) rings, a fast 15:1 gear ratio, and an electric hydraulic pump in case

4977-519: The same time, including the ID and station wagon models. In late 1967, for the 1968 model year, the DS and ID was again restyled, by Robert Opron , who also styled the 1970 SM and 1974 CX. This version had a more streamlined headlamp design. This design had four headlights under a smooth glass canopy and the inner set swivelled with the steering wheel. This allowed the driver to see "around" turns, especially valuable on twisting roads driven at high speed at night. The directional headlamps were linked to

5056-575: The somewhat narrow cabin, column-mounted gearstick , and separate fenders began to seem a little old-fashioned in the 1970s. Citroën invested enormous resources to design and launch an entirely new vehicle in 1970, the SM , which was in effect a thoroughly modernized DS, with similar length, but greater width. The manual gearbox was a modified DS unit. The front disc brakes were the same design. Axles, wheel bearings, steering knuckles, and hydraulic components were either DS parts or modified DS parts. The SM had

5135-403: The steered wheels when driving at typical speeds, and considerably reduce the physical effort necessary to turn the wheels when a vehicle is stopped or moving slowly. Power steering can also be engineered to provide some artificial feedback of forces acting on the steered wheels. Hydraulic power steering systems for cars augment steering effort via an actuator, a hydraulic cylinder that is part of

5214-494: The steering wheel and the steering gear is retained in EPS. In the event of component failure or power failure that causes a failure to provide assistance, the mechanical linkage serves as a back-up. If EPS fails, the driver encounters a situation where heavy effort is required to steer. This heavy effort is similar to that of an inoperative hydraulic steering assist system . Depending on the driving situation, driving skill and strength of

5293-470: The styling controversial, and the car noisy and underpowered. The Dyane was a modernised 2CV with a hatchback that competed with the 2CV inspired Renault 4 Hatchback . All these 2 cylinder models were very small, so there remained a wide market gap to the DS range all through the 1960s. In 1970, Citroën finally introduced a car to target the mid-range – the Citroën GS , which won the "European car of

5372-630: The successor to the Traction Avant , the DS 19 was introduced on 6 October 1955, at the Paris Motor Show . In the first 15 minutes of the show, 743 orders were taken, and orders for the first day totalled 12,000. During the 10 days of the show, the DS took in 80,000 deposits; a record that stood for over 60 years, until it was eclipsed by the Tesla Model 3 which received 180,000 first day deposits in March 2016. The original list price for

5451-418: The system filled with fluid. With every "inhalation" of fresh moisture- (and dust-) laden air, the fluid absorbed more water. For the 1967 model year, Citroën introduced a new mineral oil -based fluid LHM ( liquide hydraulique minéral ). This fluid was much less harsh on the system. LHM required completely different materials for the seals. Using either fluid in the incorrect system would completely destroy

5530-416: The technologically superior radial tyre since 1948, and the DS was no exception. The car used double wishbone suspension with L-shaped arms at the front and trailing-arms at the rear, with totally novel hydropneumatic spring and damper units . The car's advanced hydraulics included automatic self-levelling and driver adjustable ride-height , developed in-house by Paul Magès . This suspension allowed

5609-440: The unequal tyre loading, which is well known to promote understeer , typical of front-engined and front-wheel drive cars. Although disc brakes had been tried on a car as early as 1902 by British Lanchester , volume production had not been applied until 1949, by USA small car manufacturer Crosley , but without success. The Citroën DS was the first successful fielding of disc brakes on a mass-produced car. Furthermore, at launch

5688-412: The vehicle's steered (usually front) road wheels. The hydraulic pressure typically comes from a gerotor or rotary vane pump driven by the vehicle's engine. A double-acting hydraulic cylinder applies a force to the steering gear, which in turn steers the roadwheels. The steering wheel operates valves to control flow to the cylinder. The more torque the driver applies to the steering wheel and column,

5767-444: The wheels by cable. Behind each glass cover lens, the inboard high-beam headlamp swivels by up to 80° as the driver steers, throwing the beam along the driver's intended path rather than uselessly across the curved road. The outboard low-beam headlamps are self-leveling in response to pitching caused by acceleration and braking. Because this feature was not allowed in the US (see World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations ),

5846-421: The wheels comes from the car's high pressure hydraulic system and is always the same no matter what the road speed is. Turning the steering wheel moves the wheels simultaneously to a corresponding angle via a hydraulic cylinder. In order to give some artificial steering feel, there is a separate hydraulically operated system that tries to turn the steering wheel back to centre position. The amount of pressure applied

5925-606: The world. It also posited the nation's relevance in the Space Age , during the global race for technology of the Cold War . Structuralist philosopher Roland Barthes , in an essay about the car, said that it looked as if it had "fallen from the sky". An American advertisement summarised this selling point: "It takes a special person to drive a special car". Because they were owned by the technologically aggressive tyre manufacturer Michelin , Citroën had designed their cars around

6004-415: Was not widely adopted by other automakers in the initial years due to the unnatural steering feel of the motor caused by the inertia at the time of rapid steering for danger avoidance in slower speed driving, as well as at the time of faster speed driving in which the electromagnetic clutch makes the steering force smaller, returning to the manual steering mode. In the year 1990, a direct full control system of

6083-612: Was primarily manufactured at the Quai André-Citroën in the Javel neighborhood of Paris, with other manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, South Africa, the former Yugoslavia (mostly Break Ambulances), and Australia. Australia constructed their own D variant in the 1960s at Heidelberg, Victoria , identified as the ID 19 "Parisienne." Australian market cars were fitted with options as standard equipment such as

6162-523: Was put on a Columbia 5-ton truck in 1903 where a separate electric motor was used to assist the driver in turning the front wheels. Robert E. Twyford , a resident of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , included a mechanical power steering mechanism as part of his patent (U.S. Patent 646,477) issued on April 3, 1900 for the first four-wheel drive system. Francis W. Davis , an engineer of the truck division of Pierce-Arrow , began exploring how steering could be made easier, and in 1926 invented and demonstrated

6241-696: Was sold in Japan, but the models were built in France and left hand drive . The DS was sold in North America from 1956 to 1972. Despite its popularity in Europe and regard for its design from the American motoring press, it did not sell well in the United States, and little better in Canada. While promoted as a luxury car, it did not have the basic features that American buyers expected to find on such

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