Autocar confidential: Kia, Volkswagen, Citroen

This week's gossip from the automotive industry brings news of Citroën's future line-up, the Kia Venga's fate and future tech to feature in Volkswagen's 2019 Volkswagen Golf.

Citroën's future line-up

Citroën is to cut the range of models it offers worldwide, says boss Linda Jackson: “There will be eight silhouettes [her term for model ranges] excluding vans and the Citroen C1. Every silhouette will be multi-regional. The aim is to be selling 45% of our cars outside Europe by 2021, up from 35%. The new C3 Aircross will be sold in six regions. We’ve currently got 14 silhouettes because of regional variations. We’ll reduce that.”

Read more: Citroën C3 Aircross to take on Nissan Juke in compact SUV class, PSA Group semi-autonomous cars arrive this year; full autonomy in 2020

The Stonic's effect on the Venga's future

The arrival of the Kia Stonic will spell the end for the Kia Venga mini MPV. The Stonic is not a replacement for the Venga, but Kia’s European boss Michael Cole said the Stonic’s arrival made it “difficult to justify” a new Venga given the drop in MPV sales and the growth of SUVs.

Cole added that Kia could increase its range of crossovers if the growth continues, but there are no plans to do so at present. “We will react to market demands,” he said.

Read more: Kia Stonic - first drive of Kia's new small SUV, Kia Stinger GT 2018 review

Volkswagen's electric steering

A Volkswagen executive has let slip that one of the next-gen technologies being developed for MQB cars is fully electronic ‘by-wire’ steering. It’s likely that the system will filter onto the 2019 Volkswagen Golf and from there outwards to related VW Group models. It will also feature on VW’s ID-branded EVs due to be rolled out the following year.

Read more: Volkswagen to buy back Dieselgate-affected cars in two German towns, Autocar test shows worse economy after Volkswagen diesel fix