Will Citroen’s Divine DS concept eventually rival the Volkswagen Golf? Concept sparks rumour mill ahead of its Paris Motor Show debut.
[Not a valid template]Turns out the French revolution is in full effect once again. It’s rare for one French manufacturer to grace the homepage of crankandpiston.com, but new conceptual releases from both Peugeot and RenaultSport have caused the team to sit up, tuck in its shirt tails, and leave prejudice at the door. Now, Citroen has gone and done it too.
Well, we say ‘Citroen’. In an effort to inject some added ‘oomph’ to the brand – in much the same way Hyundai has run with the ‘Genesis’ logo – the above Divine concept has actually been badged as a DS, following the sub-brand’s launch in China. Given that the Citroen logo appears nowhere on the bodywork, rumours abound that the same may very soon be happening in Europe too. And speaking of the bodywork…
All curves, sharp angles and growling noses, key points to keep your eye on include the floating diamonds in the front grille, the miniscule rear window, the hidden door handles, and those 20-inch wheels. Despite this rather natty design – admit it, this does look pretty good – it’s inside that les garcons et les filles at the design easel have gone raving mad. The upholstery for example is made from pleated satin, leather and crystals, while the dashboard can be unscrewed and replaced with a new ‘theme’ à la the SMART ForTwo. You hope – you REALLY hope – that this receives a makeover before the Divine makes its (supposed) production debut. And considering the newboy measures 4.21m long and 1.35m high – putting it firmly in VW Golf territory – that ain’t no bad thing (cheque is in the post Mr Davison).
Power comes from the 270hp 1.6-litre THP four-cylinder lifted from sister company Peugeot’s RCZ R (also used to power the new Peugeot EXALT Concept), more details of which are expected to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show upon the concept’s debut.
– Hat tip to Car Magazine
