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Citroen Considering C3 Hot Hatch, But It Needs to Be Comfortable Too

With all this talk about the Golf GTI, we tend to forget that Peugeot's sister brand used to have its own cars branded with those three magic letters.
Citroen's C3 WRC 10 photos
Photo: Citroen
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In the 80's, we had the Visa GTi and the quirky-looking BX19 GTi. Of course, almost none of them are on the road to lust after. And the same can be said about Citroen's more recent hot hatchbacks, like the C4 VTS, with its 180 horsepower 2-liter engine and the steering wheel that didn't move, or the plucky C2 VTS.

A new report from Auto Express suggests the French are looking into making a rival for the Fiesta ST based on their brand new C3. Speaking during the opening round of the 2017 WRC, the Monte Carlo rally, PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares hinted that the C3 might get the GTi badge.

"There may be some plans to upgrade the engines and go a little further," the official added. Of course, that the same man who said the Peugeot 308 R might see limited production as an A45 sleigher, so he could just be telling us what we want to hear.

But the official might be indirectly confirming plans for a C3 facelift or engine updates, not a hot hatch. No matter how you look at it, the Citroen supermini doesn't look like it's been designed to scare the Fiesta. But some buyers might just want a 130 horsepower turbo and some bigger alloys, a VTR, if you will.

The words of product planning chief Xavier Peugeot seem a lot more cautious: "Is it relevant to have Citroen Racing road cars? Definitely, but I would like to keep this message of comfort at the same time. This is the challenge."

It's this editor's opinion that Citroen shouldn't try to make a car that's good at everything. The C3's funky design already means some compromises have been made from the perspective of a keen driver, like the positioning of the gear stick or the high center of gravity. Either make a WRC car for the road, like a smaller Focus RS, or stick to family crossovers!
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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