The last vehicle designed entirely by Citroen before the Peugeot takeover, the Citroen CX was marketed in Europe between 1974 and 1991.
Even from the beginning of its production the Citroen CX was appreciated, winning the European Car of the Year trophy in 1975.

The Citroen CX succeeded the legendary Citroen DS from which it borrowed its hydropneumatic suspensions. The engine was mounted transversely and tilted forward, a first in the market segment. With the new position of the engine, Citroen had to develop a new transverse gearbox which was later mounted on the Lancia Beta, Talbot Solara and others.

Even if it was shorter by 21 cm (8.26 inch) than the Citroen DS, the CX offered more interior room due to the new configuration.

The CX did not benefit from the hydraulic control of the gearbox that allowed manual gear change without a clutch pedal as the Citroen DX did.

Quite uncommon for the time, the Citroen CX featured standard 4-disc brakes, with vented discs at the front and also at the rear.

The exterior styling was the work of Robert Opron, inspired by the GS’ and the SM’s designs. Robert Opron succeeded to develop the new styling without making the CX look like a clone of another model.

In July 1982, the Citroen CX was slightly restyled and featured new names: CX 20, 20 TRE and 25 D. The exterior featured a restyled front mask, a flush grille and enlarged front bumper brackets. Inside, the cabin was fitted with new counter dials with orange numbers on a black background.

Also in 1982, some options became standard such as power steering, electric front windows and central door locking.