Although the brand-new Citroen C3 was revealed a few days ago, the French car manufacturer is already plotting to spice the line-up with a hotter variant.
The last hot hatch to carry Citroen’s signature was the 1.6-litre, 205hp DS3 Performance, but according to Autoexpress, the company is “actively considering” a faster model to rebuilt its line-up following the split from the standalone luxury division, DS Automobiles.
Just like the previous C2 and C4 “VTS” variants, a possible C3 hot hatch will most likely be inspired from the world of rallying, especially as Citroen will debut the supermini in the World Rally Championship, starting with 2017.
Even Citroen’s product director Xavier Peugeot admitted that the motorsport campaign could spawn faster road cars. “Our ambition is to re-energize the brand, and we will do that in lots of ways – new cars, by pushing certain production ingredients, such as larger wheels, and by enhancing the attractiveness of the brand through competition”, he said.
“WRC is relevant to boost our attraction to younger drivers, by creating an emotional link. And yes, we have been actively considering how we can translate that into a production car while still retaining the Citroen values. We have been working on this. All I can say now is that focusing on comfort does not necessarily mean abandoning sporty values.”
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