Car Moon

With the 2011 Geneva motor show only a week away, Citroën has published photos but very few details on three new concept cars based on the firm's production models that it plans to reveal on March 1. The design studies are the C3 Red Block, DS4 Purple and the C6 ‘Noir et Blanc’.

Ask any French car fan what the most beautiful and technically advanced executive sedan of the 1950s was and most will reply, “The Citroen DS.” You only need to look at the styling of some of the DS’s competition – take the Alfa Romeo 1900 Ti, Austin A95 Westminster or BMW 501/6 for example – to see just how far ahead of its time it was.

Here was a car with a fully independent and auto-leveling suspension set up, front power disc brakes, power steering, a fiberglass roof and a hydraulically operated clutch and transmission. And the styling...

So if there’s any car worthy of a modern day revival, it’s the venerable DS. While studying at France’s Institut Superieur de Design, design student Ugo Spagnolo took on this challenge as part of his internship with Citroen.

This here is the E-3POD Antistatic design study and it was revealed at the Royal College of Art’s Interim Degree Show in London as part of the Double Challenge project sponsored by Citroën and aerodynamic simulation software company EXA. The task of the second year students was to envision an ultra-compact vehicle that could influence the design language of the automaker’s future electric cars.

Citroën's CEO of Asian operations, Gregoire Olivier, has revealed that the company is planning a production version of the beautifully styled Metropolis concept car to compete against German luxury brands, primarily in China.

The sporty looking limousine, which will most likely be called the DS9, will be built by PSA/Peugeot-Citroën's joint venture with Changan Automobile Group in China.

"The Metropolis will happen -- it will become a real car," Olivier told Autonews China on the sidelines of an industry conference in Shanghai. "The same styling elements will be used for a high-level Citroen car to be developed in China. We want to build up the premier line in China -- the Metropolis is emblematic of our approach."

Citroen is displaying several of its new production and concept cars including a Survolt racer turned-art-car and a prize-winning DS3 at its C4_2 flagship showroom on Champs-Elysées in Paris.

The Survolt art car is the work of Francoise Nielly. The Marseille- born artist took Citroen's all-electric Survolt concept racer and adorned it with a psychedelic, fluorescent paint scheme. According to the French carmaker, the contemporary artist was one of the sources of inspiration for the styling of the original Survolt.

Ooohweee, does Citroën know how to get this pale, pajama-wearing, cries-himself-to-sleep-every-night hippie blogger interested. Screw match-dot-com, we've got a car dating service now. The French brand know for its wild and out of this world concepts (see GTbyCitroën, Survolt, Revolte, etc.) has created a new form of match-up for the car enthusiast called Dating 2.0, and it's one nifty little time-waster.

Following its appearance at the Prince of Wales' Start Eco Car Spectacular, Citroen's conceptual Survolt electric racer has gone head-to-head (battery-to-battery?) with the Agni Z2 electric motorcycle at a friendly race held at Thruxton Race Circuit recently.

The new DS4 hatchback is nice and all but a Paris Motorshow without a quirky concept from Citroën is like having a French meal without wine and cheese. For this year's edition of the show, Citroën has joined forces with famous French clothing Lacoste, to create a funky looking study aptly called the "Citroën Lacoste Concept".

This just in; a couple of days ago, we told you about Citroën's plans to unveil the first photos of a new model or concept on Monday, August 30th, ahead of its Paris Motor Show debut. We asked around and according to our sources, the French car maker will reveal the DS4, which is the production version of the Geneva Show DS High Rider concept, next week - possibly, as early as Monday.

The Citroën Survolt made its track debut this past weekend at the Le Mans Classic racing event. Piloting the all-electric concept was racing driver Vanina Ickx, daughter of Belgian Formula One pilot, Jacky Ickx. "I am very proud to have participated in this unique project," said Vanina. "On the track it felt really good. It's a real race car, with a very promising potential for the future."

Citroën is taking its funky little all-electric sports car concept, the Survolt, out for racing. Unveiled to the public for the first time at this year's Geneva Salon in March, the Survolt will make its track debut at the Le Mans Classic on July 10 piloted by racing driver Vanina Ickx, daughter of Belgian Formula One pilot, Jacky Ickx.

Along with the announcement on its first track appearance, the French carmaker also revealed technical details about the Survolt. Measuring just 3.85m long, 1.87m wide and 1.2m high, the supermini-sized Survolt features a tubular chassis, a flat underside with an extractor and full carbon bodywork. It tips the scales at just 1,150 kg or 2,535 pounds.

These are the first 'real life' pictures of Citroën's latest concept car, the Metropolis, that gives certain German makers (see Porsche and BMW) a lesson or two on how to design an eye-candy luxury sports saloon.

The styling of the 5.3m long and 2m wide but only 1.4m high Metropolis has echoes of the French automaker's well received GT supercar concept of 2008. This one was developed by Citröen's Shanghai-based design team.

Under the subtle "Pearl Silk" colored bodywork there's a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that utilizes "an optimized" 2.0-liter V6 petrol engine, an electric motor and a 7-speed, dual-clutch electronic gearbox.

These are the first pictures of the interior of Citroën's DS High Rider that was originally showcased at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show this past March.

The cabin's design is contemporary as are the color choices that mirror the golden tone of the DS High Rider's bodywork. Being a concept and all, the interior gets special leather surfaces with unique textures and graining, while chrome detailing is used around the dials, steering wheel, air vents, gear stick and the arch that connects the instrument panel to the console.

Continuing its conceptual-car onslaught, Citroën has released details and teaser photos of a new limousine study called the 'Metropolis'. Created by Citroën's international design team that is based in Shanghai since 2008, the show car will be unveiled at next month's Shanghai World Fair on May 1.

Said to pay homage to China's "extraordinary development", the Metropolis is an imposing limo that measures 5.3m in length, 2.0m in width and 1.4m in height, meaning its larger than the long wheel-base version of the new Audi A8.

The Metropolis' exterior design is clearly inspired the French firm's well received "GTbyCitroën" concept supercar, blending taut lines with smooth surfaces.

Hot damn. Is it just me, or have recent Citroën concepts been some of the most show-worthy designer cars in a while? GTbyCitroën, definitely stunning. The Survolt, really fun to look at and reminisce about Ridge Racer or Cruis'n World. I even like the REVOLTe in a weird, this-isn't-right kind of way. And the next looker is just around the bend.

Called the GQbyCitroën, it's one of the best-looking GTs I've seen in a while - sorry, BMW - and is the result of a project led by GQ UK editor Dylan Jones.

The car's exterior was penned by Citroën's Mark Lloyd of DS3 fame (and his design team, naturally) while the interior is by Patrick Grant. Grant happens to be creative director at E. Tautz, a Savile Row tailor and the store where I purchase my linens.

While the Survolt sports car concept is definitely the most impressive vehicle at Citroen's Geneva Show booth, the big news for the French firm is the DS High Rider study, a thinly veiled version of the forthcoming DS4 crossover expected to be launched in early 2011.

Part hatchback, part crossover, the DS High Rider combines styling elements from its smaller DS3 sibling and the 2005 C-SportLounge concept with more muscular details, a gently sloping roof line and a higher ride height.

[Updated gallery with 'live' photos] A sleek electric sports coupe named 'Survolt' was Citroen's surprise debut at this year's edition of the Geneva Salon. The low-slung, 3,850 mm long, 1,870 mm wide and 1,200 mm tall concept car combines styling elements from both the 'GT by Citroen' supercar and last year's Revolte concept studies.

The French automaker did not release any technical details on the Survolt, so the only thing we know about the concept is that it is powered by an electric motor fed by a set of batteries.

And while the chances of a car like the Survolt making into production are slimmer than the return of the Edsel, the concept's design could inspire the next generation of Citroen's production cars. Full gallery after the jump.

After a handful of dark teaser shots, Citroen today unleashed a slew of images of its new DS High Rider concept car that is set to be launched at the Geneva Salon on March 2. As anticipated, the DS High Rider is more of a pre-production model that teases the upcoming DS4 that than a pure conceptual study.

The second member of Citroen's growing DS family after the DS3 supermini is a strange mix of a C-segment three-door hatchback with muscular details, a gently sloping roof line and heightened ride.

With a few exceptions such as the fabric roof and the polished 19-inch alloy wheels, what you see in these pictures is what you'll get when the DS4 goes into production early next year.

Given the close relationship between the Peugeot Citroen PSA group and Mitsubishi that has already given birth to the Outlander-based Citroen C Crosser and Peugeot 4007 SUVs, we wouldn't be surprised if Theophilus Chin's photoshop proposal for a Citroen C3 Crosser model based on Mitsubishi's 'baby' crossover model, the all-new ASX, becomes a reality in a couple of years.

'ASX' is the name that Mitsubishi chose for the European version of the JDM RVR that will have its world premiere at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

This year's Frankfurt auto show saw Citroen taking the wraps off three distinct model; the C3 five-door hatchback and the production version of its more upscale three-door sibling, the DS3, as well as the REVOLTe concept, a distinctively modern interpretation of the iconic 2CV. You've already seen the pics and read the details but now it's video time as the French automaker has cooked up a series of promotional films for all three models that you can check our right after the break.