Citroen Officials See No Hot Hatch In The Brand’s Lineup

Citroen used to be interested in launching a WRC-inspired hot hatch up until recently, but they have since shifted focus on comfort instead of performance.

Speaking to TopGear, the brand’s product director, Xavier Peugeot, denied the development of a new hot hatch.

“We probably have the potential to sell a few with a bit more power, but it’s more important to focus on our new brand strategy of comfort”, said Xavier Peugeot. His statement was reinforced by Citroen’s chief, Linda Jackson, who claimed that “the DNA of Citroen isn’t to have very high performance engines”.

A hot hatch version of the C3, which would capitalize on Citroen’s exploits in the WRC, where it has a long history, would have competed against the likes of the Renault Clio RS, Volkswagen Polo GTI and Ford Fiesta ST.

Its development shouldn’t have been that costly, either, as sister brand Peugeot already has a GTi version of the 208. It is powered by a 208hp and 300Nm (221lb-ft) 1.6-liter turbocharged four and can cover the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in a respectable 6.5 seconds before maxing out at 230km/h (143mph).

Unveiled in mid-2016, the latest Citroen C3 is a strong seller in Europe. The funky-looking supermini offers plenty of personalization options, including 36 different color combinations.

In its most powerful form, the new C3 is offered with a 120PS (118hp) diesel engine. And it will probably continue to be the brawniest version, since there’ll be no C3 VTS or GTi in the company’s lineup, at least for the foreseeable future.

Note: Citroen C3 WRC pictured