Total and Citroën have put in many miles together since 1968. Their success story, built on innovation and passion for motorsports, has taken the two brands all the way to the top of podiums. We look back at 50 years of a partnership studded with business and racing successes that helped build both companies’ international standing.
Since the partnership’s began in 1968, Total has helped drive Citroën’s industrial growth worldwide by supplying a wide range of automobile lubricants. Over the decades, the two companies have jointly developed lubricants specifically for Citroën engines, to make them ever more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.
The environment is a core concern for Citroën and Total. The pair has pledged to drastically curtail their environmental impact, notably by reducing carbon emissions. Their R&D teams co-develop specific solutions that fit the bill. Today their efforts have culminated in the new TOTAL QUARTZ INEO FIRST 0W-20, a synthetic oil for pollution control systems that improves fuel economy by as much as 4%*.
Another cornerstone of the Citroën-Total partnership is dedication to excellence and competitive spirit. From meticulous oil analyses to trackside checks and from individual rally races to the World Rally Championship, tests and racing events have enabled Total to experiment with lubricants under extreme conditions and make sure that Citroën’s racing and mass-produced cars deliver the best performance.
The strength of the Citroën-Total motorsports partnership was obvious as far back as the Morocco Rally in 1969. Citroën began racking up wins with the Citroën DS 21, and continued its rally racing saga, stringing together 36 victories and five constructors’ titles in the FIA World Touring Car Cup. An incredible run of successes followed between 2003 and 2012, including eight constructors’ titles and nine drivers’ titles in the World Rally Championship (WRC).
In 2014, Citroën and Total decided to race in the WTCC championship, notching up three constructors’ titles, three drivers’ titles and 50 wins. In 2017, the two brands made a fresh start in the WRC with the C3 WRC, a two-time winner, in Mexico and Catalonia.
Mathieu Soulas, Total Lubrifiants’ Chief Executive Officer, comments: “We are both are preparing to meet the environmental, technological and motorsports-related challenges of the future. The road we’ve already traveled together allowed us to share our dedication to excellence and customer-focused innovation. During those productive years, Total and Citroën have always been able to come up with sustainable solutions.”
Linda Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, Citroën Brand, notes that: “After 50 years of working together, we can be proud of our engaged teams and their tremendous contribution to this great success story.”
Citroën and Total celebrate the 50th anniversary of their partnership with a video reflecting their dedication to excellence and expertise, available on social media.
ABOUT CITROËN
An international automotive brand at the heart of the mainstream market, Citroën has cultivated boldness and creativity since 1919. Standing apart through their design and ensuring well-being through comfort and technology, Citroën cars like the New C3 and the New C3 Aircross Compact SUV, bring a breath of fresh air to the automotive world. The brand is popular in its noblest sense: its main source of inspiration is people and their lifestyles. This spirit is captured in its signature: “Inspired by You”. It also finds expression through a unique customer experience with its city store concept ‘La Maison Citroën’, its online opinion site ‘Citroën Advisor’ and mobility solutions such as Citroën Rent & Smile and Citroën Earn & Drive. With 10,000 sales and after-sales points in nearly 80 countries, Citroën sold 1.1 million vehicles in 2017. The Brand has also amassed eight Manufacturers’ titles in the World Rally Championship and won three consecutive Manufacturers’ title in the FIA World Touring Car Championship
ABOUT TOTAL LUBRIFIANTS
Total Lubrifiants is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of engine oils and lubricants. It has 41 production plants worldwide and more than 5,800 employees in 150 countries. Total Lubrifiants offers innovative, efficient and environmentally responsible products and services developed by more than 130 researchers at its R&D center. Total Lubrifiants is a partner of choice for the automotive, industrial and marine markets.
ABOUT TOTAL
Total is a global integrated energy producer and provider, a leading international oil and gas company, and a major player in low-carbon energies. Our 98,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, cleaner, more efficient, more innovative and accessible to as many people as possible. As a responsible corporate citizen, we focus on ensuring that our operations in more than 130 countries worldwide consistently deliver economic, social and environmental benefits.
