Today it is exactly 35 years since Citroën produced its millionth AX. On 16 January 1990, this model, a silver-grey AX 14 TRS, rolled off the assembly line at the factory in Aulnay sous Bois. Produced there from the summer of 1986, the AX became a millionaire within 3.5 years. Not bad!
The Citroën AX was developed in the early 1980s under the code name ZA, and succeeded the Visa and the LNA. Ideally, Citroën would have also liked the model to replace the Romanian Axel, but unfortunately they were still contractually attached to deliveries from Romania.
In 1984, the design of the AX was ready and preparations for production could begin. The choice fell on the factory in Aulnay-sous-Bois, north of Paris. That plant had been built in the early 70s to replace the factory on the Quai de Javel, which suffered from lack of space and logistical problems in transporting produced cars. In Aulnay, well outside the city, this would not be a problem.
When the plant opened its doors in 1973, it was one of the most modern car factories in the world. Time did not stand still, however, and to make the facility ready to produce the AX, Citroën invested in 1984 5.5 billion francs in modifications and modernisations. Much of the production line was robotised and a lot of attention was also paid to staff training and education.
Production of the AX started in the summer of 1986, alongside the CX, which was also built in Aulnay. The millionth AX left the factory on 16 January 1990. Top year was 1989, when over 241,000 AXs were produced in Aulnay. In 1995, the last AX ran off the production line. Elsewhere, production would continue until 1998.
