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DS models to lose Citroen badging

The Citroën Divine DS Concept won't be the only model in the newly separated DS sub-brand to ditch its Chevrons. In fact, the entire DS line will go without the iconic badge, according to PSA Chairman Carlos Tavares.
The goal, Tavares told Autocar, was to continue to distance the DS line from the main Citroën brand and in turn, craft the group's offerings into premium challengers for Audi.
"From 2015 DS will be disconnected from Citroen. We don't need to have separate platforms, or even separate dealers, but we will have separate manufacturing and engineering standards," Tavares told Autocar. "DS can be an Audi rival by 2020. The products in the pipeline are extremely exciting but we are not just going into premium as we're not going to be fighting the Germans with the same weapons."

Citroen and Ines de La Fressange Paris show off two new concepts

Citroën is taking some inspiration from the famous Parisian style with two new, chic concepts based on the DS3 (above) and DS3 Cabrio (right) with input from the fashion house Ines de La Fressange Paris. There aren't any actual mechanical tweaks to them; they just show what the cars could look like with a dash of haute couture.
The DS3 hatchback gets a spray of Ink Blue, satin-finish paint with a slightly contrasting Onyx Black roof, and its Cabrio sibling wears gloss Perla Nera Black body with an Infinite Blue softop roof. Other than the colors, they share a ton of other features with Ines Red mirror caps, 17-inch wheels, an Ines de la Fressange Paris emblem on the center pillar and a subtle Aéropostale red, white and blue trim strip wrapping around the back. They're both handsome vehicles, but it's hard to understand why some extra paint and trim make them concepts.
Inside, the two of them are identical, and their blue, white and red color scheme echoes the French flag. Compared to the relatively subtle exteriors, the dashboard is covered in eye-piercing Ines Red with the company's emblem. The seats are covered in Granite Blue leather with white stitching to get all of the colors in there. The Aéropostale trim strip also gets used again on the seats.

Citroen spins off premium brand with Divine DS concept [w/video]

With one of Europe's biggest auto shows now just a month away, European automakers are preparing to showcase their latest wares. And since this year the salon is in Paris, you can bet that French automakers will seize the opportunity as well - French automakers like Citroën, for example, which has revealed this new concept car. Thing is, while it's clearly made by Citroën, it doesn't wear the name or any of its badges. The Divine DS concept you see here is being presented exclusively as a DS model, leading a spin-off of the Chevron marque's premium line into its own stand-alone division in Europe much as it has in China. And this concept previews that brand's new styling direction.
The five-door hatch, measuring 165 inches long and 78 inches wide, is about the size of the current Citroën DS4 (which itself is about the size of a VW Golf) but at 53 inches tall sits lower to the ground than the existing pseudo-crossover. Power comes from a 1.6-liter turbo four with 270 horsepower, but the Divine DS concept is less about its specifications than its design.
Sitting low on 20-inch wheels, with spindly mirrors, hidden door handles and no bumpers to speak of, the Divine DS is clearly more show car than production preview. The French automaker describes the design as "spectacular, elegant and enchanting," which may be a bit of a stretch, but it does cut a rather slick profile for an everyday hatchback, with sharp creases, bold angles and a faceted roof design that opens to deploy the rear-view camera.

Citro?n names new CEO in executive shuffle

Peugeot SA (otherwise known as PSA Peugeot Citroën) has been shaking things up in the top echelon of its executive ranks. It recently hired former Renault COO Carlos Tavares as its group chief executive and former Airbus chief Louis Gallois as chairman. Now it's announced two more top executive appointments.
First up is Linda Jackson, who steps into the role as CEO of the Citroën brand. Jackson had until now been managing director of Citroën in the UK and Ireland, a job she's held since 2010, and comes with over 35 years of experience in the industry. She replaces Fréderic Banzet who is taking up a new role in the Peugeot family's holding company FFP that controls, among other assets, 19 percent of PSA.
While Jackson will now be responsible for the Citroën brand itself, operation of the DS sub-brand is being handed to Yves Bonnefont, who is being promoted from his current position as group strategy director and deputy Citroën brand chief.

2015 Fiat Ducato and French siblings get prettier face, finer features

The Ram ProMaster only introduced itself to US buyers - prognathous jaw first - last year, but it might quickly be the recipient of some plastic surgery. Above is the new face of the 2015 Fiat Ducato, which does duty as our ProMaster, the Citroën Jumper and the Peugeot Boxer and will be officially unveiled on May 12. Its face still slopes forward all the way to the bottom, but the distance and weight of the jutting chin has been greatly reduced by curving lines that more artfully integrate the new three-piece bumper with the sheetmetal. That bumper can be had in two colors, and the front end also gets new, sleeker headlights with LED DRLs.
Trims are named Classic, Tecno and Lounge, and all benefit from ESP, a new underride guard and an upgraded cockpit with touches like better seats, Bluetooth and a clipboard that can be affixed to the dash and is robust enough to hold smartphones and tablets. High-zoot options - which would give the ProMaster better fight against the Mercedes Sprinter if they carry over to our market - include lane departure assist.
The Ducato will come with choices of three roof heights, four lengths and eight capacity ratings. You'll find info on that and much more in the press releases from Fiat and Peugeot below, and we'll find out more about how the ProMaster will benefit in a few weeks.

Chris Harris explains why the world's best car is... the Citro?n 2CV?

Most recently we've seen Chris Harris in the driver's seat of a Jaguar F-Type, a McLaren P1 prototype and a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. And outside the car, there was his indignation over the demonization of the Porsche Carrera GT after Paul Walker's death. So you might not expect him to say of a 1957 Citroën 2CV with all of 12 horsepower, "it's the antidote to all the modern stuff I drive."
That's only the beginning of the hosannas, Harris going on to call the runabout designed to carry two farmers and 50 kilograms of potatoes at 39 miles per hour "the most interesting car I have or ever will own." We could tell you why, but it sounds so much more distinguished when he does it. So you can watch him do so in the video below. Unsurprisingly, not a single drift was given that day.

DS 6WR channels Citro?n Wild Rubis into Beijing

Citroën has unveiled preliminary images and information about "the first ever SUV for the brand," the DS 6WR, before the model's official debut at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show. Said to be directly inspired by the Wild Rubis concept that bowed in Shanghai last year, the new addition to the DS family breaks new ground for the French brand, while not exactly living up to the SUV tradition.
The DS 6WR will slot in at the top of the brand's luxury-oriented DS range (where it will also be built), offering space and versatility along with added size for Chinese customers. Citroën is as-yet unclear if the model will make it to Europe, or elsewhere in the world.
The French automaker will initially offer the utility vehicle with a choice of two engine options, an e-THP 160 and THP 200 - those numbers seem to reference output in metric horsepower, meaning roughly 158 hp and 197 hp, respectively. Each mill offers both direct injection and a twin-scroll turbo, and both mate up to a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Visit this secret Citro?n stash outside Paris with XCar

With models like the 2CV, DS and SM, Citroën established itself as a home for quirky styling and out-of-the-box engineering, and in many minds the brand defines the look of the classic French car. In a recent video, XCar ventures inside Citroën's secret warehouse outside of Paris where the brand keeps many of its rarest and most significant cars.
The collection includes the oldest DS in the world, which was never put on sale, and four incredibly rare, pre-World War II 2CVs. According to Denis Huille of Citroën Heritage, about 60 percent of the cars are in drivable condition.
Citroën is now starting to go through a stylistic reawakening. Concepts like the DS 5LS R, Wild Rubis and Numero 9 show off a brand that has a definite idea of how a car wearing its badge should look. Scroll down to take a tour through the company's history.

Citro?n heading to Beijing with DS 5LS R concept [w/video]

With the renaissance of the DS line, Citroën was clearly going for style and elegance. But in the years since it has also imbued some of its premium DS models with an added dose of performance. It used the DS3 as the basis for its World Rally Championship challenger, then rolled out the DS3 Racing hot hatch and the DS3 Cabrio Racing version, and applied a similar treatment to the DS4 Racing concept. Now it's doing the same to the Chinese-market DS 5LS luxury sedan.
Set to debut later this month at the Beijing Motor Show, the somewhat awkwardly named DS 5LS R may sound more like a new camera model but is actually a performance sedan concept. In its transformation, Citroën gave it a 1.6-liter turbo four with 300 horsepower on tap, lowered the suspension by 15 millimeters (0.6 inches), widened the track, upgraded the brakes, fitted 20-inch wheels and gave it looks to match.
The bodywork has been doused in a matte metallic shade of reddish magenta and accented with carbon-fiber trim, while the interior has been upgraded with leather and Alcantara trim, top-stitched in the same red as the exterior and similarly accented with carbon trim. Of course R logos feature prominently throughout. No matter what we think of it, though, a concept car based on a model made by a French automaker for the Chinese market stands absolutely no chance of ever seeing the inside of an American showroom or an inch of the Great American Road, so the closest we're ever likely to get is the high-res image gallery above and the video and press release below.

Citro?n C4 Cactus Adventure Concept takes fuel efficiency to the trails

Alongside the auto show debut of the new Citroën C4 Cactus, the French marque also rolled out this, the C4 Cactus Adventure Concept. Not surprisingly, the C4 doesn't belie itself as an off-road vehicle. With the Adventure Concept, Citroën is looking to change that.
Finished with an interesting, camo-like paint scheme that reacted to the black lights of the Citroën stand, the Adventure Concept is outfitted with knobbly BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires and off-road-ready black wheels. The new rubber should be good for some extra grip when the going gets tough, although we're betting they'd take a nice chunk out of the C4 Cactus' 91.1-Euro-mpg fuel rating.
Brush bars have been fitted both front and rear to provide some protection from the C4 Cactus' overhangs. The other change is the roof rack and cargo box on the ultra-efficient CUV's roof, which can also act as a mounting point for GoPro cameras. That cargo box is home to a pair of auxiliary lights, allowing the Adventure to handle light trail duty whether the sun is up or down. The hood also features a mounting point on the passenger's side for the handy video recorder.