The Citroen DS3 Racing will get a new version in the future as the company keeps its DS line, and the original DS3 version, alive. With a series of special edition Citroen DS3 models keeping the market interested, the practice of using exclusive options and new versions will extend from the hot hatch to the larger and more luxury Citroen DS4 and Citroen DS5 models.

In speaking to the WhatACar site, Citroen product planning director Thomas d’Haussy says: “We will be offering exclusive options and probably exclusive models. We have already done this a little with the DS3, including versions with matt finish paint. The policy will be extended to the DS4 and Citroen DS5 review, but perhaps in different ways.”

The process will mostly involve limited edition interiors and new paint jobs, but the Citroen DS3 Racing itself has performed beyond expectations and something new in the near future will be reserved for it. No concrete details are forthcoming, but the racing model has been a much bigger seller than originally planned and a revamped version will attempt to drive that demand even further.

What’s more a hot version of the DS4 is also in the works. While hard to imagine, d’Haussy apparently says: “We have a lot of imagination.” We can also expect to see big plans for the Chinese car market as Citroen takes advantage of its growing presence there.

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The Citroen DS5 is a striking car without doubt and a nice addition to the company’s expanding DS line-up. The DS3 was probably the perfect trailblazer, the DS4 is cashing in on the burgeoning compact crossover sector and the DS5 makes do very well as the luxury flagship, although it is the latest and less well-known of three.

To get a closer look, here is the official Citroen DS5 video where we get a detailed look at an extremly stylish vehicle. As we can see, the DS5 offers an elegant, classy and modern car which was presented at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show as Citroen’s best effort in style, technology and originality. It might be a tougher game for the French in the luxury segment but Citroen has taken some risks recently that could pay off as a nice alternative to the German brands. Time will tell.

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According to reports from France and an interview with Carlos Tavares, Renault could be considering an Alpine brand revival. The Renault COO has apparently even discussed the first details on the Alpine plan and reviving what was once a glorious marque.

Under any plan to revive the brand however, unsurprisingly perhaps Alpine would no longer represent an extreme sports ideal, but rather an exclusive and luxurious badge. The Renault Alpine badge would be developed to rival the Citroen DS line.

Renault is in the same boat as many non-German and non-premium brands right now - suffering a complete lack of appeal at the top end of the range. According to reports, Tavares says: “We are considering using the Alpine brand, characterised by luxury and sports style, on more than one model.”

Source | Autosblog.fr

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A new Citroen DS3 convertible will be part of an expanding Citroen DS model range, according to an interview with PSA brands head, Jean-Marc Gales and Automotive News Europe. Among the news about the growth of the company in global markets, including China, there is more on what we can expect from the DS range of upmarket models.

With the DS4 and DS5 launched this year, it will be a while before we see anything new. Gales says the company intends on focusing on a year of production of the current DS line-up in 2012, but a new Citroen DS3 convertible will also be released. It will be the first model in a new expansion plan, and could be followed by a sports version of the DS4, similar to the DS3 Racing.

Still talking hypothetically, Gales then adds that room for a Citroen DS2 entry-level model could be found, and a larger Citroen DS6 flagship could be developed - the sedan version of the Metropolis concept car. None of that has been officially confirmed as such, but with total DS sales in 2012 of about 170,000 to 180,000 units, Citroen will be wanting to build on the range’s success as part of its global expansion.

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The first Citroen DS5 video has appeared online where we get another look at the range-topping DS model. The video from Le Blog Auto shows the DS5 in an appropriately luxurious environment and it’s quite a curious design. While we can see it appealing to European tastes, we’ve got a better idea as to why the DS5 debuted at the Shanghai Motor Show, too.

The DS5 looks like a combination of the DS3 and DS4 with a distinctive rear but the larger dimension and touring look introduced by the DS4 (although this time the rear windows actually open). The video shows us the grand tour of the DS5 interior, and while we’ve yet to know how it actually drives, it’s quite a good looking model. It seems the DS range has been a blessing for Citroen, and this is another example of how they’ve turned the appeal of the little hot hatch to their advantage in a bigger segment, too.

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The Citroen DS3 has reached the sales figure of 100,000 units sold since it was first launched in March 2010. This Citroen DS3 Flower celebrates that landmark with a bicolour DS3 with bright pink roof and flower motifs. The company has released the news of the sales figures with a flourish on the types of DS3 models being ordered. It says two out of three customers choose top-ranging models when ordering. The fuschia pink features on the interior trim and other personalised components of the car. Let’s see if the DS4 and DS5 will be able to match the “petite chic” of the DS3 and its sales success….

Source | Autosblog.fr

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Citroen had promised an interesting marketing campaign for its new DS4 and these videos (exclusively previewed by our Italian colleagues on Autoblog.it) are certainly that. The first Citroen DS4 marketing video involves a baby saying ‘no’ to every question asked and the rest of the videos, after the jump, follow it that same vein.

The DS4 marketing campaign uses a candid camera format to promote the new crossover car and the (stretched) message is about not following conventions. We’ve got our doubts over how successful this DS4 campaign might be, but watching all six doesn’t really do the company any favours as you do get an overload of seeing people doing silly things and then feeling silly when they find it’s a hoax. Still, Citroen is being adventurous, which is what its car and its DS range is too, and we’re involved enough to want to get to know the DS4 more closely.

Continue reading: Citroen DS4 weird marketing videos

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The new Citroen DS5 has been presented and the third model in the DS line-up, after the DS3 and DS4, seems to break the mould for Citroen as well as this emerging “crossover” segment. In fact, we had previously considered the crossover segment as not particularly emerging at all, and currently very trendy instead, until we saw the DS5 pics and realised that Citroen is tapping into some design potential in crossovers which is unexplored territory for other car manufacturers.

The DS5 is based on the Peugeot 5008 and Citroen C4 Picasso platforms, but loses a lot of the MPV-look in the process. It’s got a sports wagon look but on a higher wheel base with a pronounced bulkier rear end. The front arches towards the back along the length of the car, giving at a sporty look as well. The Citroen DS5 is being released as a hybrid model with the same platform as the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4.

In fact the Citroen is the first model from this badge to be produced at the Peugeot Sochaux facilities where the 3008 hybrid is produced. The DS5 is equipped with a 2.0 HDi engine with 165 hp, an extra 37 hp produced by the electric motor. Despite the total 200 hp, the hybrid powertrain produces just 99 g/km of CO2 emissions. They seem like almost citycar figures but on a large, family vehicle which is 4.52 metres long and 1.85 wide.

Continue reading: Citroen DS5 released

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The Citroen DS5 could be revealed in prototype version at the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show. The model will represent the top of the DS range and this latest spy shot shows what will be a large crossover model, but with sporty and dynamic looks.

The DS family should then range from the DS2, to be placed below the original DS3 model, moving up to the attractive DS4 and then the DS5. The eclectic DS3 which captured the imagination of many, will remain the funky example of the range, as the DS4 and DS5 take on slightly different design.

The Citroen DS5 could be about 460 cm long making it a family model. If we get to see the prototype in Shanghai, we should see the final version at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Source | Autosblog.fr

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Rumours are that the Citroen DS range will not just expand from the flagship DS3 up to the DS4 and DS5 models, but that we will also get a smaller Citroen DS2 model. The guys at AutoBild say that the small citycar model would be about 370 cm long, with five-door set-up and a four-seater cabin.

The Citroen DS2 would be based on the Revolte concept which we first saw at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was inspired, in turn, by the 2CV. We would assume there would be room in the DS range, with a citycar model, for an electric or hybrid model, but so far reports are that we will see the new three-cylinder petrol turbo unit that the PSA group is developing with BMW. It has power up to 110 hp.

There could also be the 1.4 HDi unit with 70 hp, which would be a particularly sensible thing to do on the European market. It would also represent the more efficient of the DS2 options with fuel consumption under 4 l/100 km. AutoBild is predicting a DS2 debut at the end of 2012 with a price of about €12,000.

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As the Citroen DS4 readies for its market debut, the new Citroen DS5 is also in the works. This spy video doesn’t show us much at all, but the large crossover model and next member of the DS family could have dimensions similar to the Peugeot 3008.

We won’t be seeing this at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show which starts tomorrow as that event is reserved for the DS4 production version; but the DS5 could turn up later this year at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The DS5 will get the new diesel-hybrid Hybrid4 set-up: the current technology is the PSA’s source of pride right now on the ecological front.

While the DS model range has taken a different design turn between the DS3 and DS4 models, the DS5 will probably be more in line with the latter and providing the diesel-hybrid all-wheel drive option could make for an interesting model. The technology uses a 2.0 HDi engine with 163 hp, combined with electric-powered rear wheels where the electric motor provides another 37 hp.

This would make the DS5 an interesting all-wheel drive crossover model. We’re suitably intrigued and will wait for more in months to come.

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Here are spy shots of the new Citroen DS5, the third model in the DS line-up to be released after the DS3 and the DS4. While the DS3 is a three-door, hot-hatch model, and the DS4 is more of a five-door, crossover hatch, the DS5 should develop the crossover theme on an estate platform. The company has previously described this as a “luxurious grand tourer”, proving that the DS range didn’t have to stick to the original roots of the eclectic and hot little DS3.

The DS5 will use the Citroen C5 platform, although some departures in design are expected including a higher ride height and a more coupé-like shape. The DS5 will mark a significant evolution in the DS range, and will be different from the previous two models, which share similar design philosophies and target markets. Some elements of the new model will be borrowed from the Citroen Hypnos concept, in the goal to create a vehicle that will stand out from any other when in traffic.

The Citroen DS5 should use the Hybrid4 diesel-electric drivetrain with a front-end engine of 200 hp and a rear electric motor of about 37 hp. While we’ll see the final production version of the DS4 at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, the DS5 will be first revealed at the Shanghai motor show in April, with a European production debut planned for the Frankfurt show later this year.

Source | Autocar

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