Citroëns will be sold on style, comfort and technology in future - and not price - as the firm attempts to move away from the mainstream, according to boss Linda Jackson.
“Our products have to be different and make you feel good,” said Jackson. “Otherwise you have to compete on price, and we don't want to do that any more.”
Speaking to Autocar at the Geneva motor show, Jackson highlighted the success of the Citroën C4 Cactus as the key example of where she wanted the brand to go, but she emphasised that not every new vehicle would be so extreme in its looks.
“The minute you see one of our cars, you must know it's a Citroën,” said Jackson. “That doesn't mean they'll all look the same - although there will be a coherence - but they must be striking, they must put an emphasis on comfortable ride and they must offer technology that people use, to make their lives better.”
Citroën will push monthly leasing harder around the world too, including its Simply Drive and Flexi Drive schemes, which bundle lease costs with insurance and other overheads for a fixed monthly fee. Both schemes are expected to be launched in the UK.
“If you add benefits then it helps strengthen pricing,” said Jackson. “'We saw that happen in the UK with the growth of PCP sales and - in certain regions - we see more opportunity.”
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emphasis on a comfortable ride
'The success of the C4 Cactus...'
When it was introduced