There’s nothing like a solid career in the racing world to boost the appeal of an otherwise, tedious mainstream model like the Citroen C-Elysee, a sister car to Peugeot’s 301 compact sedan, created to win the markets of Turkey, Spain, Central Europe and Algeria, among others.
With the DS3 having taken on the gravel-and snow-paved roads and paths of the World Rally Championship, the new Citroën C-Elysée will be entering the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in 2014.
This is the first time that the French brand is participating in the series, but the presence of nine-time World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb, who recently shattered the Pike Peak Hill Climb record, means that if anything else, Citroen will be a very strong contender.
“Choosing C-Elysée as the basis for our WTCC car reflects very clearly our determination to use racing as an active means of supporting our commercial development,” stated Citroen CEO Frédéric Banzet. “With rounds in Latin America, Morocco, China and Russia, the WTCC race calendar is genuinely global, and it will be a real advantage to run a C-Elysée, a key driver of our growth, in front of large crowds of enthusiastic motorsport fans.”
Previewed in these two sketches ahead of world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this fall, the C-Elysée WTCC sports a widened body with plenty of spoilers and big 18-inch wheels, with power coming from the same 380bhp 1.6-liter turbo used on the DS3 WRC. Citroen said that the racing model has already entered the testing phase.
PHOTO GALLERY
