Reports that Citroen’s ageing C5 range would be the last to feature its legendary hydropneumatic suspension system have been followed this week by talk of a radical new setup that will appear in 2017.
According to a report with the UK’s Autocar, Citroen CEO Linda Jackson has promised a new suspension package that will honour the comfort-focused design of its previous system without skimping on body control.
“Comfort is a core value of the Citroen brand, and this is ours way to recreate the benefits of the hydropneumatic set-up in a more modern, more appropriate way,” Jackson told Autocar.
Although the older system was an in-house undertaking, Citroen’s top-secret new setup is understood to be a collaborative effort with a supplier.
Although PSA Peugeot Citroen’s luxury DS brand is known to be involved in similar projects, it seems this new system will be unique to the Citroen brand.
“We have the opportunity to pick new technologies for the future and I am sure this one is best suited to Citroen’s core values. I believe I can promise you this will be a Citroen-only system,” Jackson said.
The report adds that Citroen will cut its model range by half over the coming years.
Citroen’s current global portfolio includes 14 core body styles, including the tiny C1 developed with Peugeot and Toyota.
Jackson told Autocar that the company aims to reduce the line-up to eight styles, again including the C1, with ‘micro cars’ far too popular a segment in Europe to ignore.
Variants of those styles will continue to be produced, however, including long-wheelbase versions for the Chinese market, where such styles are strong sellers.
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