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Citroën is one of the most innovative car manufacturers of all time, and these are the coolest models they've ever made.

Many people might not realize, but a lot of automakers started out making products that aren't automobiles. This doesn't even have to apply to the world of cars. Did you know that Nintendo was a playing card company before transitioning to video game hardware and software? A popular example of an automaker like this is Saab, which made, and still makes aircraft, like the Tunnan, before they dabbled in cars.

Another fantastic example is Citroën. Founded by André Citroën in 1919, they started out with weapons. Having previous experience with building cars, they decided to take a gamble, and eventually, the first car they ever made, the Type A, took off. This French automaker has been making cars ever since, and one thing that they all have in common is that they're not exactly conventional. Some of them even had 10 wheels.

Before the iconic DS, Citroën's flagship car was the Traction Avant. It was a little late to the newfangled FWD party, but it totally worked. The Traction Avant, as well as being a solid family car, showed off the company's penchant to innovate.

RELATED: 10 Cool Facts About The Citroën DS

The Traction Avant was one of the first cars in the world to use a unibody construction, in a time when just about every car's body and frame were separate. They even planned to sell a version with a V8 engine and an automatic transmission, and it was used as a test bed for the Hydropneumatic suspension. Speaking of...

You simply can't talk about the coolest Citroën models of all time without mentioning the car that launched the company into the stratosphere, in terms of sales numbers and brand recognition. The DS, introduced at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, was unlike anything the world had ever seen before. It was clear that Citroën had a winner on their hands, as on the same day they first revealed the DS, 12,000 reservations swarmed in.

The DS was innovative all the way through, with a lot of features that modern cars have making their first appearance right here; actual safety features, cornering lights, plastic dashboards, and deviating from styling norms. Not to mention the "magic carpet" Hydropneumatic suspension. You can even get it converted to an EV now.

On the complete opposite spectrum to the DS, there was the 2CV. The 2CV was essentially Citroën's answer to the Beetle; a basic, barebones vehicle that's simply designed to take you from point A to point B. It did that exceedingly well, which is why it sold by the millions and millions. We absolutely love it.

Obviously, the reason why it sold so well was because it was cheap, and the way they managed to make it so cheap is frankly impressive; the windows didn't roll down, they popped out manually. The canvas top on the models that had it was also manual, and the two-cylinder engine made 9 hp.

Amazingly enough, Citroën had something for the commercial buyer in the 40s too. The HY was sold up until the 80s, and it was Citroën's small cargo van, intended to compete with the VW Type 2 bus. Like the Traction Avant, it was also FWD and used a unibody construction.

In the world of vans, this meant a flat floor, and the ability to load the van from the side. These days, you can find these in Continental Europe being used as food trucks or something similar, and there's even a body kit to make your modern Citroën Jumper / Relay look like its grandfather.

Only the most dedicated Citroën fans know about the Visa GTi. Mostly because around this time, the spotlight was almost entirely stolen by this car's cousin, the Peugeot 205 GTi. Still, the Visa is not a car to overlook, as it was also a fantastic hot hatchback.

The Visa was mostly intended to replace the aging, basic 2CV, but instead, both models ended up being sold alongside each other. The GTi used a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with either 105 or 115 hp. The more powerful version could do 60 mph in 8.8 seconds, and top out at 119 mph, all while being a blast to drive.

After the DS ended its run in the 70s, Citroën needed to put together a spectacular new executive car to top their icon. The CX, introduced in 1974, definitely did a good job of continuing the lineage, as it took everything that made the DS so legendary and either continued it, or added more to it.

RELATED: Demuro: The Citroën CX Is an Amazingly Quirky and Weird French Luxury Car

The unmistakably Citroën styling was very much present, along with the latest evolution of the Hydropneumatic suspension system. It also had the legendary single spoke steering wheel, along with a whole host of other innovations. There was even a turbo four-cylinder with 170 hp in the 80s, not bad for the time period.

If you don't consider the DS to be Citroën royalty, then it's probably this. The SM is the only time that Citroën has dabbled into luxury sports coupes, and it remains an icon to this day. It was conceived to be a sporty variant of the DS, and that's essentially what it is.

It inherited the DS' hydropneumatic suspension system, and it was used for Citroën to showcase how much power FWD cars can handle. They somehow managed to eliminate torque steer entirely, and remember, this was the 70s. The V6 engines in the SM did a good job of keeping up with the best of the best, including the Mercedes 450 SLC, the Alfa Montreal and a few others.

By the 90s, Citroën realized they had to work more on increasing sales, rather than being the left-field choice. As a result, this decade saw a whole lineup of pretty ordinary cars, including the Saxo. However, that's exactly what made the Saxo such a huge seller. Of course, it had its own hot hatchback version.

The Saxo VTS was Citroën's answer to the VW Polo GTI, the Ford Fiesta ST, and its cousin, the Peugeot 106 GTi. The 1.6 four-cylinder made 120 hp, which may not sound like a lot, but the VTS weighed basically nothing. It quickly became a favorite for hot hatchback lovers, especially in the UK and among youngsters, who proceeded to crash and/or modify most of them.

Citroën's replacement for the Xantia arrived in the early 2000s with the C5. While the first generation C5 was a pretty good car, it was obvious that it didn't have all that it took to compete with the best of the sedan class. With the second generation in 2007, it was obvious that Citroën was ready to take some pretty big leaps to compete with the class leaders.

With its pricing and sizing, the second generation (X7) C5 competed with the VW Passat, the Honda Accord, and Mazda 6. However, the premium feel, the ride quality, and some of the available options allowed it to trade punches with cars from the class above that. It remains a criminally underrated sedan, which has allowed prices to stay low.

After a few years of offering mostly normal cars to boost sales, Citroën decided to dip their toes in the luxury sedan pool once more. The C6 was everything people loved about old luxury Citroëns in a modern package, designed to compete with the 5 Series and E-Classes of the world.

It had the suspension, of course, now called Hydractive. It also had styling inspired by its ancestors, most notably the DS. Unfortunately, Citroën had to discover the hard way that the interest for a luxury Citroën model had basically died out entirely. The C6 was met with very low sales figures, despite the good reception, and nowadays, it's a collectible vehicle.

Finally, we arrive at the present, and the latest big car from Citroën, the C5 X. Despite sharing a name with the aforementioned sedan, the C5 X is a fusion of several segments. Obviously, it's a high-riding crossover, like everything today has to be. But it's also a station wagon. But it's also a sort of liftback notchback sedan type thing.

RELATED: 10 Things We Just Learned About The Citroën C5 X

The new C5 X aims to continue the lineage of large Citroëns, just adapted to work with the modern automotive climate. Tons of technology, a supremely comfortable ride, tons of practicality, and the latest generation of electrified powertrains. We're excited to see what Citroën has in store for this captivating new model, and for their entire model lineup in the future.

Marko has been part of the HotCars team since July 2020. He started out writing for various sites on a variety of topics. He prefers weird, unusual cars to luxobarges and sports cars.