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Crossing the Sahara
The Company in 1923
- The Saint-Charles factory in the 15th district of Paris comes into operation to manufacture and assemble gearboxes for the 5CV.
- The first conveyor belt is installed in the Quai de Javel plant. Measuring 49 metres in length, it is used to produce 100 cars a day. Production reaches 3,500 vehicles a month, while the workforce swells to 11,000.
- A British subsidiary, Citroën Cars Ltd., is formed in London.
- The half-tracks become the first vehicles to cross the Sahara between December 1922 and February 1923. The expedition led by Haardt and Audouin-Dubreuil completes the journey from Algiers to Timbuktu.
- Citroën publishes a list of repair prices.
- Annual production : 32 678 vehicles.
The models in 1923
- André Citroën begins to manufacture toy cars, faithful miniatures of "the one Daddy drives".
Premier modèle : le Torpédo B2 10 HP.
- The first model is of the 10 HP B2 open tourer. Between 1923 and 1933, 2,033,369 models are sold.
In the news in 1923
- The last Turkish sultan is deposed by Mustafa Kemal "Ataturk", who becomes the first President of the Turkish Republic.
- The Munich Putsch is put down and Hitler is sentenced to five years in prison. He remains there for less than a year, during which time he writes Mein Kampf.
- In Spain, Primo de Rivera stages a coup and establishes a dictatorship.
- A massive earthquake in Japan kills three million.
- Monet finishes painting The Water-Lilies and Picasso paints Harlequin.