Citroën Plans to Abandon Unique Designs to Boost International Sales

Some of Citroën'sCitroënFrance, 1919 > present94 models
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most famous designs also rank as some of the oddest looking mainstream cars ever produced. Cars like the DSCitroën DSFrance, 1955 > 197630 versions
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, SMCitroën SMFrance, 1970 > 19752 versions
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and C6Citroën C6France, 2005 > present10 versions
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have some of the weirdest designs ever seen on the road. However, Citroën design director Alexandre Malval says that the days of quirky designs are over if the brand wants to increase its sales. 

“We are definitely at a crossroads as a company on styling. Part of the difficulty is that it is part of our personality to be a bit radical and a bit different. Our iconic silhouettes — 2CVCitroën 2CVFrance, 1948 > 19907 versions
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, original DS and so on — are radical in a way you can’t do when you design cars for a world market," said Malval.

For the future, Malval is focusing on designs that can sell in France as well in China and Asia. Malval who joined the company in 2012 after heading PeugeotPeugeotFrance, 1882 > present120 models
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design says that the cars under his direction will still be distinctive but more unified across model ranges. We will see exactly what he means when the new C4 PicassoCitroën C4 Picasso Gen.1France, 2007 > 201236 versions
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goes on sale later in 2013. 

“We have to find a different aesthetic for the future. The Chinese market is far more fashion led, but that fashion can change really fast and we have to be a little bit careful because of that speed of change. China is open to new silhouettes, new technology — so many things. But we must also remember our heartland in Europe, where proportions and volumes of scale are so important. We must tread that path carefully," said Malval

Adieu, 2CV.

Source: Autocar