When the Citroën Sport débuts at the Geneva Show, it will not only offer a glimpse of what Sébastien Loeb’s next rally car will look like, but give a clear indication of the Xsara replacement’s styling.
When the Citroën Sport débuts at the Geneva Show, it will not only offer a glimpse of what Sébastien Loeb’s next rally car will look like, but give a clear indication of the Xsara replacement’s styling.
Despite the young Frenchman’s heroics at the wheel of a Xsara WRC over the past two years – he narrowly lost the championship battle at the British Rally last year – the Xsara – which is slightly bigger than a subcompact, but smaller than a compact saloon, has never gained major popularity on the South African market. The successor to the Xsara has been eagerly awaited and will eventually slot in between the C3 and C5 ranges currently available in South Africa.
“This concept car is not constrained by the limitations of sporting regulations and represents a bold stylistic development that offers a futuristic vision of post-Xsara WRC competition cars,” the company was quoted as saying of the concept.
However, the headlights of the car were strongly influenced by the front look of the C-Airdream concept from last year and as can be seen from the picture, the most distinctive design feature is the integration of the grille and Citroen’s chevron badge.
Yet, apart from the unusual headlamps, the C4’s lines are expected to be mainly conservative. Large wing mirrors and the deep glass areas of the tall body should give excellent rear visibility, but the sleek feel of the original concept, has been lost. Power will come from a choice of six engines, with diesel models expected to take the majority of sales in Europe.
The three-door version will be joined by a five-door hatchback when the C4 is launched in the next year. An estate version will follow in 2005, which, insiders have hinted, will get a more adventurous design. Following the successful unveiling of the C2 Sport junior rally car at the Geneva Show last year, Citroën was always hoping to spring the C4 on the public in a similar style at this year’s Swiss event.
CARtoday.com reported recently that Citroën SA were about to launch the three-door C2 mini car, priced “well below R120 000”. The Citröen C6, spiritual successor of the DS, would be added to the market towards the end of this year.
