Timed to coincide with the company's 90th anniversary, and its founder, Andre Citroen's birthday, Citroen has announced that it is reinventing itself, with a new visual identity, new marketing ideas and a completely new line of cars.
To that end, the Citroen chevron badge has been restyled, Citroen Sport has been renamed Citroen Racing, the company's websites have all been updated with the latest technology and an innovative advertising agency has been employed.
For us, the biggest news is the revival of the hallowed DS name, which will adorn Citroen's new range of cars. At this stage, the plan is for the DS range to stand apart from the current models with small, medium and large DS-badged vehicles due on the market from 2010. Citroen will display a concept at
next month's Geneva Motor Show as a preview to the first DS model.
Given the cult following Citroen's original DS garnered, we won't be surprised if there's a backlash against the reviving of the name. However, the DS Inside concept is a stylish take on the compact three-door hatchback, obviously designed to compete against the likes of the MINI and Audi's forthcoming A1.
We'll take a closer look at Geneva to judge whether the new DS lives up to its forebear.
Shane O' Donoghue - 6 Feb 2009