Photo: Citroen
As you might have heard, the C4 Hatchback is not long for this world. There are plenty of reasons why Citroen fell out of love with the C4 in this body style, though there’s a different story with the customers. And that is old age combined with the lack of visual flair, excitement, and innovation.
The second-generation C4 Hatchback, which came out in 2010, replaced one of the quirkiest models in the C-segment. Quirky as in lovable, thanks in part to the fixed-hub steering wheel and three-door coupe body style. All the things we loved about the first C4 were rubbed out for the second generation, and that spelled decline.
It didn’t help Citroen that the competition was getting increasingly good in this segment, which is why sales in Europe have steadily declined over the passing of time. From a high point of 113,565 in 2011, sales slumped to 46,939 in 2016. And that’s a far cry from the 206,759 C4s sold in 2005.
How does the French automaker plan to get back into the game? Chief executive officer Linda Jackson has a plan, acknowledging that this type of vehicle is critical to the company. Speaking to Auto Express, Jackson promised two things for the C4: “it’ll be in the sector but it will not be traditional” and "nor will it necessarily be the C4 Cactus.”
Reading between the lines, there’s a trump card to be played in the segment where the Volkswagen Golf rules supreme. And that trump card could be what made the first-generation C4 Hatchback special, as in the quirkiness of going French instead of the more mainstream German formula.
Groupe PSA aims to reduce the current number of architectures for passenger vehicles to two, translating to the Common Modular Platform for small cars and Efficient Modular Platform. Based on this piece of information, the third-generation Citroen C4 Hatchback will join the EMP2-pinned Peugeot 308 when it goes official in 2020 at the earliest.
The Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension system from the C4 Cactus and C5 Aircross is certain to make the cut. After all, Jackson promised “21st-century comfort in suspension” technology for the newcomer.
It didn’t help Citroen that the competition was getting increasingly good in this segment, which is why sales in Europe have steadily declined over the passing of time. From a high point of 113,565 in 2011, sales slumped to 46,939 in 2016. And that’s a far cry from the 206,759 C4s sold in 2005.
How does the French automaker plan to get back into the game? Chief executive officer Linda Jackson has a plan, acknowledging that this type of vehicle is critical to the company. Speaking to Auto Express, Jackson promised two things for the C4: “it’ll be in the sector but it will not be traditional” and "nor will it necessarily be the C4 Cactus.”
Reading between the lines, there’s a trump card to be played in the segment where the Volkswagen Golf rules supreme. And that trump card could be what made the first-generation C4 Hatchback special, as in the quirkiness of going French instead of the more mainstream German formula.
Groupe PSA aims to reduce the current number of architectures for passenger vehicles to two, translating to the Common Modular Platform for small cars and Efficient Modular Platform. Based on this piece of information, the third-generation Citroen C4 Hatchback will join the EMP2-pinned Peugeot 308 when it goes official in 2020 at the earliest.
The Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension system from the C4 Cactus and C5 Aircross is certain to make the cut. After all, Jackson promised “21st-century comfort in suspension” technology for the newcomer.
Google News