Two days after unveiling the Survolt and DS High Rider concepts at the Geneva motor show, Citroen last week pulled off a rare surprise by unveiling the GQbyCitroen - its third concept in three days.
Instigated around a year ago, the project is a result of GQ Magazine's editor Dylan Jones questioning what his readers' ideal car might look like, and subsequently being put in touch with Citroen's Mark Lloyd, design manager for this project.
The concept is a 4.5m long shooting break, based on the C4 platform. Shown only as a solid exterior model at its London unveiling, an interior trimmed by Saville Row tailor, E. Tautz has also been developed in concept form.
The shooting break format developed out of the magazine team's desire to create something that was not only sporting but also practical and Citroen's reflection on its own products having a typically two-box silhouette. The C-Metisse concept is the first thing that first springs to mind upon viewing the car; a key factor here being the candy red paint the two cars share.
"The most important thing was to have good proportions and a good stance", says exterior designer Domagoj Dukec. The concept's strong presence is helped by its powerful DRG with large outer air intakes stretching the height of the lower bumper, and providing a visual connection to the DS range and many recent Citroen concepts. According to Dukec, this created "quite an aggressive look, so in the center of the face we wanted to do something that was friendlier, smiling almost" - hence the floating upper double-chevron grille, similar to the application used on the GTbyCitroen concept.
Surfaces along the side of the car are reminiscent of Hypnos, with a broad shoulder and sharply defined, rising rocker cover interplaying with a sharp crease, which dives forward from the rear wheelarch. The shallow DLO is worthy of note too, its parabolic upper arc referencing Citroen's current production range, the kicked-up lower edge combining with the rising fender line to create a modern interpretation of the SM, according to Dukec.
The rear three-quarter is the most visually intriguing aspect. The rear wheelarch peels away from the body section creating a void below the rear lights, "to add a sense of mystique, without creating something that feels hollow", while surface treatment that alternates between concave and convex terminates in the rear screen, which introduces a new variation on the concave format seen on C5 and C6.
Overall, the concept is interesting in that it clearly references recent Citroen concepts while featuring slightly calmer, less extreme design language. Proportionally less extreme than the C-Metisse or GT, it feels - appropriately for the quintessentially British GQ - more tailored in its overall resolution. At a wider level, the idea of a French brand trying to create a car for something that is particularly British, is intriguing. A more obvious choice of car brand for this project might have been Mini or Jaguar, but judging by the reaction of the Covent Garden crowd at the launch, Citroen gets 'Britishness' rather well, with everyone pleased that they've achieved it without resorting to retro.
It might seem odd that Citroen chose to show the car straight after Geneva, but it reflects a growing trend of eschewing auto shows. The car generates a great deal of publicity, gets its own limelight, and puts Citroen on to the radar of a small but significant user group who are unlikely to have considered the brand before - as the GTbyCitroen also did.
Tongue-in-cheek, we wonder how many GQ readers will now be considering a DS3 instead of an Audi A1 or Golf GTi, but as a way of reaching a new audience, we applaud Citroen's approach. Creating one-off concept cars for targeted groups is an altogether more engaging and authentic approach to brand-building and marketing than some of the highly questionable, targeted social-media based advertising campaigns many have been pursuing recently.
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