Pictures, News and reviews on the fantastic world of French Concept Cars from Renault, Peugeot and Citroen
Citroen Concept Cars
The Citroen GQ concept car was produced by the manufacturer in collaboration with the UK men’s magazine GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly), and it is a vision of what a high end sporting grand tourer could look like. It follows the classic British shooting brake (or fastback) theme, and has strong elements from previous Citroen concept cars such as the C-Metisse and the Hypnos concept seen over the last few years, and incorporates themes taken from a Saville row bespoke suit designer in the interior of the car using innovative materials like doeskin and bright red military flourishes. Again it is unlikely to ever reach production but we should see elements of the design slipping into forthcoming models like the C4, C5 and C6.
The Citroen Survolt concept car was unveiled at the Geneva motor show in 2010 and provided a bridge between the earlier Revolte concept car and the fantastic GT supercar, by blending the styles to produce a compact racer that certainly caught the eye, due in no small part by huge smatterings of bright pink neon bodywork. Apparently the concept features an all electric drive-train that can give sports car levels of performance (think Tesla) in compact hatchback size. We quite like it, and the more electric sports cars we see the better, but it is very unlikely to actually make production.
The Citroen REVOLTe (yes the dodgy capital letters are intentional) concept car was shown at the Frankfurt motor show in 2009, as another interpretation of the classic 2CV, although rumours suggest that something not too dissimilar to this could enter production along the lines of the new DS range of premium small cars that the manufacturer is planning. The concept car has a sliding canvas roof, clam shell doors, and an unspecified hybrid drive train featuring a small petrol engine and electric motor.
Reviews for the styling were very mixed among show-goers, and Citroen described it as “an ultra-chic city car combining luxury with a touch of cheek.” The rumours suggesting the car may make production in some form seem to be fairly strong suggesting it could be branded as a DS2 model.
The DS Inside is one of those rarefied few concept cars that looks good and might actually make production, in fact that seems to be the intent of the manufacturer – to launch a production model as close to the concept car as possible. The DS nameplate seems a little confusing, but the brand is looking to apply it to a new range of premium cars that sit above the standard Citroen models in the range.
the DS Inside is a conventional 3 door hatchback that is set to compete head on with the Mini for sales in the premium hatchback segment, as owners look to downsize their cars but not give up the levels of luxury and comfort they are used to in their larger vehicles. The DS certainly impresses with a good blend of style both inside and out, and if people can see past the connotations of the Citroen badge then this car will be a real winner. It features a range of engines from 1.2 to 2 litres, both petrol and diesel, and is likely to be priced similarly to its BMW produced Mini rival.
The Hypnos concept car was first unveiled at the 2008 Paris motor show and we can only assume the name comes from the effects of prolonged exposure to the interior! The exterior of the car has taken on several forms from the recent C-Metisse and GT concepts – and looks absolutely fantastic, whereas the interior has been given a psychedelic makeover with multi-coloured striped seats and dashboard that looks good but massively ott.
Citroen has been a brand known for producing small low cost cars and has not really had a production crossover in its line up, but the Hypnos has a great blend of luxury class style to it that would not be out of place on the top end premium brands ans shows that the manufacturer has the skills (at least in the design department) to move away from the budget end of the car market. The Citroen Hypnos features a diesel electric hybrid, with a 2.0 litre diesel engine mounted up front driving the front wheels and an electric motor fitted to the rear axle giving 4 wheel drive for extra traction.
There are concept cars that look interesting, controversial, thought provoking, and then there is the occasional one that looks simply stunning – and the Citroen GT is just that ,and even better, after huge public approval – they are going to make it!! The GT was a collaboration between Citroen and Sony for the forthcoming Gran Turismo 5 racing game for the PlayStation 3. Initially imagined purely as a virtual model that could be driven within the game, the GT was unveiled in the metal at the Paris motor show in 2008 and left onlookers gobsmacked.
The initial concept featured a notional hydrogen fuel cell to power it, but with such public approval Citroen is looking to make a limited run of 20 cars based around a racing chassis and a V8 engine, possible sourced from GM or Ford, all confirmed by Citroen’s product chief Vincent Besson. No price or production date has ever yet been given.
The Citroen C-Cactus is an interesting design concept that focuses on using green materials in car production and minimize the use of unnecessary extra parts, so lots of large single piece construction is used to keep individual part numbers, making production cheaper, easier and less polluting. To use the manufacturers own words: “Citroën is exploring new forms of design. It has decided to abandon features that are not essential to comfort and to focus instead on technology, styling and equipment that are positive, ecological and valued by users.”
The concept has a hybrid diesel electric powertrain, and whilst the brief was to produce an “ecological hatchback with cheerful, attractive styling”, we do think it resembles a sort of cartoon hippo. there are rumours that Citroen are looking to put something like this into production, there may be some further styling issues that need resolving if it wants the car to sell.
The Citroen C-Metisse Concept Car is described by the manufacturer as a luxury grand tourer. It was first unveiled to the world at the Paris motor show in 2006, and is a take on the traditional fastback shape with a long low bonnet and short rear overhangs. It features carbon fibre bodywork, and innovative hinged doors that open beetle-wing style front and rear.
The C-Metisse Concept is said to give design clues about forthcoming C4 and C5 models, such as the lights and grille. The C-Metisse also features an innovative hybrid power plant, with the brand’s V6 diesel engine powering the front wheels and twin electric motors installed in the rear wheels give the car 4 wheel drive in poor driving conditions. The car isn’t destined for production unfortunately, but it’s a real looker, and bodes well for future Citroen products.
The Citroen C-Buggy concept car was first shown at the Madrid motor show in 2006, and is a derivative of its earlier C-Airplay concept car. It is a playful concept take on the beach buggy, being a 2 seater open topped vehicle with a cross between speedster and off road ruggedness in a compact little form. The concept car features a 110 horsepower engine with an auto gearbox, and stop start technology.
Citroen’s own images show just how serious they are about the concept with pictures of the car on a lunar landscape – so another fun little car unlikely to ever make production, but good fun nonetheless…
