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Citroen DS
Imagine being transported back to the year 1955 at the Paris Auto Show. There were many cars on display, but most of them were warmed-up prewar designs with common engines and nothing interesting. However, at the Citroen booth was the new DS with a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension and front-wheel drive. Also, it had a futuristic interior, aerodynamic design, aluminum hood and plastic roof.
For 1955 Paris Auto Show visitors, the Citroen DS was a vision of the future that landed in France, which was exactly what Citroen intended. In fact, they designed the DS to be a family sedan that was the most innovative car in the world and car customers accepted the futuristic model. By the end of the first day of the car show, Citroen received over 18,000 orders for the new model.
They also sold the DS in America where people considered it a technical marvel, so it achieved modest success on the market. Despite all the advantages of its basic design, Citroen had problems with their underpowered four-cylinder engines and complicated mechanics, so U.S. customers were reserved. However, in all other parts of the world, they sold over 1.5 million DS models before ceasing production in 1975.