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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.

With Spagnolo’s drawings at hand and the help of his friends at the institute, the 3D renders and animation were produced. It is said to have garnered favorable reviews from Citroen Styling Director Jean-Pierre Ploue.

Infusing the DS’s 64-year-old styling with the new Citroen design language introduced through concepts like the Revolt and Survolt, the DS24 is a real looker. With aggressive haunches, sliding rear doors, an almost Corvette-like nose and shapely rump, the Nouveau DS was imagined for Citroen’s Centenary in 2019.

And the interior does not fail to disappoint either, with its pulsing blue transmission tunnel suggesting the raw energy of the car’s hydrogen power source. Is it just me, or does that seem to be designer’s engine-of-choice these days?

Take a look at the pictures (and the stunning and initially seizure-inducing video) and leave your piece in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Cardesign

2019 Citroen DS Design & 3D animation, students project

Ugo Spagnolo, designer.
Aurelien Petit, 3d digital designer.
Benoit Louzaouen, 3d digital designer.
Guillaume Vasseur, 3d digital designer.

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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.

Created by Heikki Juvonen, the E-3POD Antistatic was favored by the judges due to its “bold and engaging take on an urban three wheel electric vehicle”. Winning the competition gives the talented student the opportunity to work at the PSA Design Center in Paris for six months.

“I’m thrilled Citroën selected my design as their favorite and I can’t wait to work with their talented team in France. As a designer I strive for new and better solutions. Good and sustainable design not only improves manufacturer brand image and sales, but can also help to preserve our environment”, Heikki said.

According to the designer, the single-seater electric trike is meant for urban commuting, but it doesn’t replace cars. Instead, it could be an addition to future households, positioned between bikes and cars.

The E-3POD has a simple, lightweight construction and excellent aerodynamics meaning that it can be powered by a small battery, which in turn reduces manufacturing costs and final price, making the theoretical production version affordable.

The advantages of the E-3POD reside in its small footprint, allowing for easy parking, and closed cockpit, which, unlike bicycles and public transport, creates a “comfortable and isolated personal space”. Furthermore, the short overall length transforms the design study into an agile vehicle, excellent for tackling heavy urban traffic.

“We’re delighted to be involved in this important RCA project. The students have produced some truly exceptional ideas for the future design of electric Citroën vehicles. This type of powertrain is increasingly recognized as an important solution for economically and environmentally viable urban transport; so it’s fantastic to see the electric visions of these potential car designers of tomorrow”, said Philippe Holland, Responsable Style Graphique at Citroën.

By Csaba Daradics

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.

Just be aware that the first step is asking your preference, not what you are. Don't make the same mistake I did and wind up looking at a dude in boxer briefs. Well, unless that's your thing, in which case go for it.

I, on the other hand, went with classy, busty, and shapely for my little lady and ended up with a "beautiful, alluring, and enigmatic" fish supper-enjoying mermaid and a red DS3. Yeah, I thought it was weird, too, so I tried it again...and it got even weirder.

Next, I chose funny, toned, and sporty (or something thereabouts) and ended up with a dominatrix-looking chick in leather with "a dominant personality and a unique dress sense". And...and...she's wearing a studded collar with a friggin' leash.

Try out this Dating 2.0 (link below) for yourself and leave your kinky results in the comments below. As for me, I'm off to the store to snag some furry handcuffs.

By Phil Alex

Link: Citroën Dating 2.0

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.

In the red corner, and behind the wheel of the Citroen Survolt is Le Mans / Touring Car racer Vanina Ickx, daughter of six times Le Mans winner and F1 driver Jacky Ickx.

The carbon fibre bodied Survolt features a tubular chasis and twin electric motors. With 220 kw (30o-horsepower) from 0 to 5,000 rpm, the Lotus Elise-sized Survolt can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in under five seconds. It has a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph) and an estimated range of 200 km (124 miles) from its twin 31kw lithium ion batteries.

In the blue corner, and piloting the Agni Z2 is the fastest woman around the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) course and championship leader in the 2010 TTXGP clean emissions motorcycle race, Jenny Tinmouth.

The Agni Z2 comes with eighty small battery packs and a 50 kw (65-horsepower) electric motor offering a 0 - 100 km/h (0 - 62 mph) sprint time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 209 km/h (130 mph).

Below are pictures and video of the friendly race, as the two racy women took their electric vehicles around the Thruxton Circuit as part of a joint publicity showing.

By Tristan Hankins

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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".

At 3.45m long, 1.80m wide and 1.52m high with a 2.30m long wheelbase, the concept model is roughly the same size as a Citroën C1 / Toyota Aygo. Power comes from a three-cylinder gasoline engine, with the French firm claiming that it offers "plenty of performance on tap to power a vehicle of this size and weight."

A number of styling details make a direct reference to the sporting / clothing world of the Lacoste brand. On the outside you have the golf ball-style alloy wheels and the square relief designs that resemble sections of a tennis net on several parts of the car's body.

Inside -among other details- is the seat trim with a weave closely resembling that of a polo shirt and the seatbelt anchorage points that have "necklines" like the French brand's polo shirts.

One of the coolest features of the door-less concept is the T-shaped structure that extends back to the boot like a "backbone". It hides an auto-inflatable hood that deploys all the way along the backbone to form a soft-top roof to somewhat protect passengers from the elements of natures.

We'll have more info and photos of the Citroën Lacoste Concept from the Paris Show floor on September 30.