Citroen AX revolutionary ambitions came

It all started off with the concept of ECO-2000, developed between 1981 and 1984 with the French state's support to create a extra energy-efficient car, good enough to pass the ten miles on two gallons of fuel. Low weight and streamline shape was in focus, and lived on from the concept car to produktionsbilen AX.

it had, however, such as extrasmal track rear, covered rear wheels and the self-adjusting suspension have been removed.

the AX had a coefficient of drag of 0.31 cW, which was low. But it did not match the concept of 0.22 cW. Fuel consumption with the smallest engine in a liter never came down to the vision, but to the well so nice to 0.4 litres of gasoline per mile.

the Body of the car consisted of plastic and lövtunn plate which resulted in such a low weight as the 640 kilos for the bilmodellens basic version.

the AX was in several hurtiga versions. Seen here Sports launched in 1987 with 95 horsepower, and the white-painted tyres. Photo: Citroën, Technology, World archive

with tredörrarskaross, complemented in 1987 with doors to the ground even to the back seat. Diesel engines, prestandaversioner and four-wheel drive was also on the AX-palette.

in 1988, the French built karossmakarna Heuliez a kombiversion of the car. AX was also the basis for mikrobilstillverkaren Aixams strandbill Mega Club.

the 1.1 - and 1.4-litersmotorer was offered when the AX 1988 came to Sweden. Later supplemented the range with the two stronger variants, AX GT with 80 horsepower and AX GTI with not less than 95 horsepower.

the AX was only built in three - and femdörrarsutförande of Citroën. This kombibygge said French karossfirman Heuliez. Photo: Citroën, Technology, World archive

In a brochure of the Swedish Citroën-the agency gave out before the model year 1989 was saved it is not on the praises of what ”Europe's newest small car” has to give. Among other things, it was that ”with the superior power-to-weight for weight, compared with competitors, accelerates the AX away from even the stronger cars.”

that the sale in Sweden of the French car brand then was at a higher level ”than ever before”:

”Is it perhaps so that more and more of us realized that there are alternatives to the indifferent japanese, expensive germans and not swedes?”

with respect to the AX so was the sale in our country a number of years later obviously is not a big shot. In the Technology World annual that means ”All the cars -94” it was announced that the AX before the year is no longer going to be marketed on the Swedish market.

Aixams strandbil Mega Club is based on the AX. The model could sooner be seen as a rental car, mainly in France. Photo: Pipo Canaja / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)

it was subsequently not as on rails. The model AX was supposed to also be launched as a Talbot model Samba, based on the Peugeot 104, went to the grave. So, it didn't – instead went the whole French-british brand Talbot in the grave.

the AX was marketed as a revolution. But in all honesty, revolted the most to the brand's old tokideal. Just there a reason to be appointed to the classics.