Citroen is working on bringing two of its recent concepts to production: the Metropolis upmarket saloon, which could be badged DS9, and the Survolt sports car.

Citroen’s attempt at breaking into the European executive saloon market with the current C6 hasn’t been successful, but PSA design boss Jean-Pierre Ploué told Autocar that Citroën must persevere, and the Metropolis is the model that could do this, coming to European showrooms as a range-topping DS model

“We cannot afford to let the likes of Audi, Mercedes and BMW forge into Citroën’s heartland supermini territory without fighting back and pushing into theirs,” he said.

He added: “Selling large luxury cars in Europe is not easy at the moment, but I believe Citroën has a great deal more to bring to the market.

“A large, characterful DS flagship model — we could call it a DS9 to reference the original DS19 — could do great things for us.”

Ploué also suggested that developing such a car for the Chinese market, and badging it as a Citroën, would be a sound financial bet.

The Survolt project, meanwhile, has produced a running prototype that gave a demonstration run at the Le Mans Classic race meeting. It has an identical specification to the concept car, giving it 248bhp and 738lb ft of torque.

“It’s still our intention to put the Survolt into low-volume production, and we’re pursuing the idea of a one-make race series,” our source confirmed.

Source: Autocar

From the Champs Elysee to China, tomorrow’s Citroen-owning exec will cut a global dash! That’s the emphatic message sent out by the beguiling new Metropolis luxury concept set to take a bow at the Shanghai World Expo from 1 May.

With the C6 limo now in its fifth year, this svelte four-door hybrid gives a tantalising glimpse of how a future replacement would prioritise style and grace in a bid to take on luxurious rivals such as Jaguar’s XJ.

Designed from start to finish in Citroen’s Shanghai studio, the 5.3-metre long car reinforces just how important China is to the firm. Sales were up 57 per cent in 2009, and the market is now its second biggest after France.

The Metropolis takes a more sober approach than many of Citroen’s recent concepts, but keeps the same show car design language of the DS3 hatch. The familiar blade detail ahead of the front wheel arches runs elegantly into a thin metal strip separating the headlights.

Down the flanks, a prominent crease creates a shoulder effect that tapers inwards and down to the boot, with its active spoiler. However, the heavy surfaces are broken up to dramatic effect around the nose thanks to details such as the plunging grille, the badge cutting into the bonnet and the ‘floating’ undertray that brings to mind the aggressive 2008 ‘GT by Citroen’ concept.

No pictures of the cabin have been released yet, but Citroen claims that the styling will be ‘partly inspired by Chinese musical instruments’. The Metropolis’ hybrid drivetrain incorporates 2.0-litre V6 petrol power mated to an electric motor to deliver 460bhp, while emitting 70g/km of CO2.

Source: Auto Express