Citroën and Pathé, Trésor Films and Editions Albert René launch their partnership with the upcoming film Asterix
Citroën’s design teams were involved in this project from the start, designing and building the concept chariot in just 3 months, while the timeline for sketching and manufacturing a concept is usually at least 1 year.
In the film, the chariot is a reinterpretation of the 2CV and represents the Gallic way of life. The result is a chariot with boar gizzard suspension, Gallic helmet headlights operated by fireflies empowered with the magic potion, and wheels made from recycled shields containing Citroën’s double chevron.
A lot of thought went into the exact design of the chariot for this film. In the movie scene where the heroes are about to leave their village to go to China, Cétautomatix presents the chariot and shows Obelix the latest innovations he has brought with him to make the journey as comfortable and smooth as possible.
Further on in the film, when Caesar’s army reaches China, there is a billboard at the entrance of the country promoting the best car of the time: the 2CV, an incredible chariot from Gaul powered by 2 horses (deux chevaux in reference to the eponymous two Tax PS of the Döschewo) is pulled. This is a reference to the famous Citroën commercial filmed on the Great Wall of China.
Finally, to underline the strength of this partnership, the new Citroën logo will come to life, wearing the wings of Asterix’s helmet especially for the occasion. Citroën provided the team with an all-electric fleet during the filming of the Asterix film. The fleet consisted of 10 vehicles: 3 ë-C4, 3 C5 Aircross Hybrid, 2 ë-SpaceTourer, 1 and 1 ë-Jumpy. Citroën also helped with the charging stations for these vehicles at the filming locations of Bry-sur-Marne and Bretigny-sur-Orge.
Both Citroën and Asterix are household names rooted in French culture: Citroën is a car manufacturer founded by André Citroën in 1919 and has shaped the history of the automotive industry from the Traction Avant to the 2CV to the . Today, Citroën is paving the way for tomorrow’s mobility with the Ami or with its latest concept vehicle.
To date, 385 million Asterix albums have been sold worldwide in 111 languages and dialects. The first adaptation of Asterix for the cinema was in the 1967 film Asterix the Gaul, directed by Ray Goossens. To date, the Asterix saga has included 15 films and cartoons, with over 25 million viewers in France and over 70 million worldwide.
Finally, the long journey of Asterix and Obelix in China recalls Citroën’s Central Asia mission, also called Croisière Jaune or Yellow Cruise, which took place from April 4, 1931 to February 12, 1932, connecting Beirut with Beijing. It was the third expedition of this type by car initiated by Citroën, after crossing the Sahara and the Croisière Noire (Black Expedition).
This article was written by Roland Hildebrandt
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