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Citroen has revealed the interior of the DS Inside concept for the first time and even though the car is still officially a concept, as our pictures show it is clearly almost production-ready, with a stereo, climate control and even a number plate.

The French car maker is going after a slice of the Mini market with this car, emphasising both sportiness and quality.

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A number plate on the inside and a leather roof? I'm going to have to give up drinking.

Haha! I thought they meant the number plate would be IN the Inside aswell, ooops. Leather roof though, wtf? That's just mad. Brilliant seats in the thing though, how comfy do they look!

Citroen DS must be turning in its grave. The DS, GS, SM and 2CV (to name a few) were real technological tours de force. This is just gimmicky styling, with no depth. Flash in the pan, brings nothing new to the automotive art. Stephen Bayley accused Citroen of being creatively bankrupt. He is so right.

Welsh Wizard:

Stephen Bayley accused Citroen of being creatively bankrupt. He is so right.

He certainly is, Citroen are about left field engineering solutions that actually work clothed in stylish, very french and original bodywork.

Mini copies and sad supercars have no place in Citroen`s line up.

Welsh Wizard:

This is just gimmicky styling, with no depth. Flash in the pan, brings nothing new to the automotive art.

True, but these little cars sell on 'image' (or perceived image), not that I really know what that means.  However, I was told that by an Audi salesman, so I'm sure he's correct.

Image? Well I suppose some people like to look like Mrs Daisy... :-)

To continually compare Citroen to their iconic models of the past is to miss the point. Modern Citroens dont sell against DS or SM, they must sell against Mini, 500, Zafira, Focus and the like. As a mainstream volume manufacturer in Europe they are to be applauded for injecting some style and difference into their new cars. The DS3 looks like being one of the few attempts by a mainstream European brand to extend their cars upmarket that will actually succeed. To say Citroen should be about left-field engineering and french design is very true - is this not what they are doing at the moment? Maybe not to the same extent as the cars of the past which sent them bankrupt and no, the newer cars dont stand out like the DS, SM or 2CV but these are one-off icons which any direct replacement would never live up to.

I can't decide if I like the look of the new DS yet. Gotta see it in the flesh and take a drive before passing judgement. But I'm intrigued.

jd28:

few attempts by a mainstream European brand to extend their cars upmarket that will actually succeed.

Do you have a crystal ball? how do you know this will actually succeed?

You have to tempt people out of there Mini`s, Mito`s and new Audi A1/A2`s et al. All carry much more kudos and "perceived quality" than the Citroen tag. I love the Citroen name and what it has stood for in the past but i can`t see this working. 

Citroen should be producing cars to challenge the Tata Nano, they should be at the forefront of alternative fuel technology, generally thinking "outside the box".

In short Citroen should be creating new niche`s not chasing them.

 

 

Of course only time will tell if this works, but the fact that a Citroen is already being compared to Minis, Alfas and Audis would suggest they have done something right with this car, time will tell if the sales translate and of course it will be a major battle for the brand to be taken seriously at that level. But to take their brand upmarket doing what they do best, small to medium cars, is a new move, attempts by other mainstream brands have tended to focus on off-beat large cars such as Avantimes or Signums and indeed Citroen did attempt it with the C6 . I hope they succeed with the car, the premium brands have had great success moving down into small car markets while the mainstream brands tried the opposite - fighting back with big cars which was never going to work - to take the premium brands on in the lower end is a much more sensible move and one which in my opionion might be more likely to succeed.

Overdrive:

I can't decide if I like the look of the new DS yet. Gotta see it in the flesh and take a drive before passing judgement. But I'm intrigued.

The exterior looks too derrivative of the mini for me, and lacking in some of the imagination that brought us the Hypnos and the GT, but the interior looks a lot more interesting and upmarket.