Citroën will once again venture into the large saloon market when it takes the wraps off its new C6 at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. A car with roots in the iconic DS, SM and CX, the C6 will be launched in the UK late this year with pricing expected to be slightly over £30,000.
The design draws heavily on the Lignage concept car unveiled at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. The double chevron adorning the wide grille instantly marks the car out as a Citroën, while the low-slung coupé-style roofline and long wheelbase give the car a striking appearance. The concave rear window is a nod to the CX and a speed-sensitive spoiler is built into the bootlid.Just two engines will be available, both mated to six-speed auto ’boxes. The 210bhp 3.0-litre V6 petrol, already used in the C5, will be joined by the 206bhp 2.7-litre V6 diesel jointly developed between Peugeot-Citroën and Ford. That engine is already used in the Jaguar S-type diesel, and is also fitted to the Peugeot 407 Coupé concept and the Peugeot 607.
State-of-the-art technology will play a key roll in the C6’s appeal, with features such as active suspension with variable damping, a lane departure warning system, laminated glass in all the windows, directional xenon headlamps, front and rear parking sensors and electric sliding rear seats.Citroën also claims to be the first manufacturer to offer a ‘head-up’ display, projecting information onto the windscreen, as standard. The car will feature Citroën’s first electronic parking brake, and the company says it has also worked hard on driver comfort: a new front/back and left/right ‘soft diffusion’ air conditioning system.
Citroën’s new flagship is expected to sell in predictably small numbers, with first year sales likely to be in the hundreds.
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