Citroën · 1986–1998

Citroën AX

The Citroën AX is a supermini car which was built by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1986 to 1998. It was launched at the 1986 Paris Motor Show to replace the Citroën Visa and Citroën LNA.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Citroën LNA|Citroën Visa · Successor: Citroën Saxo

All Citroën AX data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Overview

Development of this model started in 1983, and it was initially also going to form the basis of a sister model from Talbot to replace the Samba; however, the falling popularity of the Talbot brand - coupled with the huge success of the new Peugeot 205 - had led to Peugeot deciding to axe it by the time the Citroën AX was launched, and so the Talbot version never made it into production. The car was available on the left-hand drive continental markets from its launch on 2 October 1986, as a three-door hatchback with 1.0, 1.1 and 1.4 L TU-series belt driven OHC engines. A range of five-door models was added in 1987 and a 1.4 L diesel engine was introduced in 1988. The latter was replaced by a 1.5 L unit in September 1994. The right-hand drive version for the UK market was launched in August 1987, initially only as a three-door hatchback, with a five-door version joining the range a year later, effectively replacing the five-door Citroën Visa, which was discontinued that year. With the final demise of the classic Citroën 2CV in 1990, the AX became the smallest model in the Citroën range. The very earliest cars had an issue with gear shifters falling off; this was rectified by the time the AX reached export markets. It was initially backed by a memorable television advertising campaign filmed in China, starring actress Janet Mas and an elderly gentleman, whose character was simply known as Mr. Wong. The car was very economical, largely because of excellent aerodynamics for its class of car (drag coefficient of 0.31) and a very light weight of 640 kg (1,411 lb) for the basic version. This was due to the extensive use of plastic panels in non-load bearing areas and varying the thicknesses of steel in the bodyshell to be the minimum needed to take required loads. Another targ

Derivatives

In 1996, the EV3 engine (air engine) was mounted into a regular Citroën AX car by MDI. Heuliez presented an estate version called the AX Evasion at the 1988 Mondial de l'Automobile. Citroën also built a concept car named Xanthia based on the AX. Besides the well known versions that are documented, Citroën also produced a few rare variants. The Citroën AX BB Cabrio was a small roadster derived from the AX (1988). In Portugal, Citroën dealership Benjamin Barral from Amadora in Lisbon created an unofficial convertible version in the 1980s until about 1996 called the BB AX Cabrio, originally powered by the twin-choke carb AX GT 1.4 L engine, but later available with any type of engine that was available on the three-door AX. At one stage, parent firm PSA Peugeot Citroën had planned to launch a Talbot Samba replacement as a version of the AX with a different grille and a Talbot badge, but this plan was cancelled, as the entire Talbot marque was axed on passenger cars by 1987 following several years of declining sales. Automobiles Citroën also launched the AX Pistes Rouges 4WD 1400 model, based on the standard three-door AX GT 1360cc engine but with a unique four-wheel-drive system developed and produced by the French Dangel company. This was built between 1992 and 1994. Malaysian car company Proton manufactured a version of the Citroën AX, the Proton Tiara, from 1996 to 2000. Mega Club/Ranch. Aixam Mega at one time built an AX derivative called Mega Club and Mega Ranch. It was somewhat inspired by the Méhari, with a plastic bodywork and an optional convertible version, with two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. It was discontinued in 1998, after nearly 1,000 had been built. A competition version of the Mega Club with a tubeframe chassis raced in the Andros Trophy in the early

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Citroën AX
Manufacturer: Citroën
Assembly: France: Rennes (PSA Rennes Plant), Spain: Vigo (PSA Vigo Plant), Portugal: Mangualde (PSA Mangualde Plant), Yugoslavia: Koper (Cimos), Morocco: Casablanca (Sopriam)
Production: 1986–1998 (2,561,432 units)
Class: Subcompact Car (B)
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive/four-wheel-drive
Body style: 3/5-door hatchback
Engine: Petrol:, 954 cc TU9 I4, 1124 cc TU1 I4, 1294 cc TU2 I4, 1360 cc TU3 I4, Diesel:, 1360 cc TUD3 I4, 1527 cc TUD5 I4
Transmission: 4-speed manual, 5-speed manual
Wheelbase: 2280 mm
Length: 3525 mm
Width: 1555 mm
Height: 1355 mm
Kerb weight: 640 -
Related: Peugeot 106, Citroën Saxo
Predecessor: Citroën LNA, Citroën Axel, Citroën Visa
Successor: Citroën Saxo
aka: Proton Tiara

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1093538CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_AXCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1373619752 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Citroen_AX_front_20080121.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Rudolf Stricker · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.