It is an understatement to say that the future of Citroën has been the subject of a constant stream of rumours and false information, with the aim of placing the brand in the low-cost sector. Unfortunately, this information, which was never denied, began to be denied with the arrival of Thierry Koskas, before the brand took advantage of the last Paris Motor Show to present its new range, which embodies its new positioning.
A new positioning that has caused a lot of ink to flow
With the creation of Stellantis, the role of the group's fourteen brands had to be redefined to prevent them from treading on each other's toes. Citroën, of course, has been the subject of much debate, with countless articles of all kinds suggesting that the Chevrolet brand will become the Group's low-cost brand, with some illustrators even imagining the future C5 Aircross with steel wheels..... In other words, the number of people who didn't know anything didn't hesitate to open it wide, the buzz, always the buzz.
Despite this information, which has damaged Citroën's image, the brand has never seen fit to deny the information, waiting for the unveiling of the new C3 to put an end to the rumours. The arrival of Thierry Koskas changed the situation a little, with a first speech a few weeks before the arrival of the new C3, in which the new boss specified the four values of Citroën: popularity, simplicity, comfort and audacity. If the brand with the chevrons is not a low-cost brand, it is the entry brand in the Stellantis group, without denying the desire to offer different products, new concepts that will draw their heritage from the manifesto concept oli.
A rejuvenated brand with clear values
The new C3 and C3 Aircross have demonstrated Citroën's new positioning by offering great value for money, of course, but without falling into the low-cost category or compromising on style or comfort, thanks to their Advanced Comfort seats and suspension. The brand also took advantage of the recent Paris Motor Show to unveil a brand new range, from the C3 to the future C5 Aircross, which finally allows everyone to see where Citroën is going and what it plans to offer the market in the coming years.
The new C3 announces that the brand is not going where we expect it to go and that Citroën is going to explore new territories, new segments by offering a B-segment saloon with the look of an SUV, a unique proposition in this segment and one that will allow the C3 to stand out from the fierce competition. The new C4 follows suit, with a simplified and unified style that does not try to hide its strong personality and unique positioning in its segment, a look that suits it, as it ranks second in sales of general compact sedans in Europe for the whole of 2024.
By presenting the concept of the future C5 Aircross, which is 90-95% faithful to the production version, Citroën also showed all the audacity that characterises it, presenting a large SUV with atypical lines, where aerodynamics dictated certain choices such as the rear lights, Citroën Light Wings, which will certainly allow the C5 Aircross to display a style that is not unique in its segment, but unique on the market.
At the end of the range, the Ami facelift also shows that Citroën is not trying to become a brand with a neutral personality. On the contrary, the next generation of the brand's little chip also has a strong personality of its own, presenting a completely new front end with a large capsule in which the brand's logo takes all its lightness. It retains the identical rear and symmetrical side that make it so special and set it apart from the competition.
To sum up, those who thought that Citroën would fall into line with its redefined positioning and become bland were disappointed: the brand maintains its desire to offer something new on the car market, as demonstrated by the future range presented at the last Paris Motor Show. But Citroën is already looking to the future, and the next C5 Aircross shows that audacity will always be part of the brand's DNA, audacity that should be even more evident in the next models.
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