On 4 March 1993, the Citroën Xantia made its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show and immediately won over the public with its soft lines and subtle elegance. Replacing the BX, the Xantia relies on style and innovation to stand out in a very competitive segment.
Designed by the Bertone Style Centre and finalised by Daniel Abramson at Citroën, the Xantia's dynamic, fluid and robust lines echo some of those of the XM, giving the Citroën range a new silhouette. Thanks to its unique style, the Xantia was voted the most beautiful car of the year in 1993, the year of its launch.
A family saloon, the Xantia makes comfort its ultimate weapon and for it Citroën has developed the hydractive suspension, an evolution of the hydractive introduced with the Xm. With Hydractive II, the suspension is electronically controlled to reduce body roll and improve handling without compromising comfort. In 1994, Citroën launched the Xantia Activa, which took over the Hydractive II system and added two cylinders to prevent body roll exceeding 0.5°, bringing the total number of balls on board to 10. Equipped in this way, the Xantia could turn flat. A technology that will lead to the development of special tyres with the manufacturer Michelin.
In 1995 the Xantia break was launched with a silhouette almost more elegant than that of the saloon, taking advantage of the hydraulic suspension to ensure comfort and a stable ride height even when the 512-litre boot was loaded.
vLa Citroën Xantia fête donc ses 30 ans et arrive sur le marché de la voiture de collection. Avec son style très élégant, son confort impressionnant et ses innovations multiples, la Xantia a marqué l'histoire de la marque. La Citroën Xantia s'est aussi démarquée par ses publicités avec notamment Carl Lewis, en 1995, dans laquelle le sportif se voit obliger de devenir moine à cause d’un pari. De même, en 1999, c’est une tout autre publicité où l’on découvre une pyramide de Xantia, prouvant l’excellente tenue de route de ces dernières.
The Citroën Xantia celebrates its 30th anniversary and enters the collector's market. With its very elegant style, its impressive comfort and its many innovations, the Xantia marked the brand's history. The Citroën Xantia also stood out in advertising, notably with Carl Lewis in 1995, in which the sportsman was forced to become a monk for a bet. It was also a completely different advertisement in 1999, where we discovered a Xantia pyramid, proving the car's excellent road-holding.
For the complete history of the Xantia, I invite you to click on the dedicated page (https://www.passionnement-citroen.com/post/retour-sur-la-citro%C3%ABn-xantia-injustement- d%C3%A9cri%C3%A9e). The Xantia disappeared from the scene in October 2022, shortly after the arrival of its successor, the C5, unfairly criticised in particular for the Camera Café series, the Xantia deserves to be rehabilitated because, in addition to being an excellent family car, it figures prominently in the history of Citroën.