While the fortunes of the conventional auto show wax and wane – but mostly wane – the rearward-facing focus of Paris’ Rétromobile Show has never been in greater demand. 2026 marked the 50th anniversary of this classic car extravaganza, held at the city’s Expo Porte de Versailles (28 January – 1 February).

As well as the usual cluster of specialist restorers, high-end auction houses, memorabilia and spare-part stores, and longstanding enthusiasts’ organisations, the show featured a number of contemporary manufacturers.

The reason? Having a heritage is an important differentiator in a global car market dominated by brand-new names. The massed nameplates of China are making a substantial dent in the European car market.

Faced with bold design, new technology and unassailable prices, the old guard is fighting back by keeping one foot in the past. Peugeot was on hand to showcase the history of its soon-to-be-revived GTI nameplate, whereas Stellantis stablemate Citroën took a different tack.

Citroën’s display focused on the creativity of concept cars, highlighting the pipeline from design dreams to production reality. With eight key cars on display, dating all the way back to the 1939 Traction Avant 15-6 Cabriolet and including the recently released ELO Concept Car – making its French debut – Citroën is on a mission to reclaim its crown as both leftfield innovator and king of the mass market.

Admittedly, the pipeline analogy becomes a little more stretched in the modern era, where design and prototyping techniques allow for flights of fancy and fantasy that often go way beyond production realities.

To Citroën’s credit, some of the cars here, resplendent in their polychromatic 1980s and 1990s liveries, went on to influence key production models, although the rough and ready prototype of the 2CV, the 1939 2CV A, was more about engineering proof of concept than a statement of futuristic form.

The Traction Avant Cabriolet is one of only three prototypes, and is returning to the show after being exhibited at the very first Rétromobile in 1976. It’s joined by its 2CV A sibling, the pair making a remarkable statement about Citroën’s diversity of style in the late 1930s. Just four examples of this first series of 2CV survive.

With the ELO representing the modern day, the marque’s other concepts include the 1956 C 10, an exploration of aerodynamics in a teardrop-shaped form that wouldn’t look out of place in a Jacques Tati film.

The C 10 is starkly contrasted with Trevor Fiore's Citroën Karin, revealed at the 1980 Paris Motor Show. This brown wedge, with its three-abreast seating and pyramidal form, is perhaps the ultimate expression of 1970s-era design. Inside, the driver sits in the middle of a plushly carpeted cabin, with a multi-functional steering wheel and binnacle housing all the controls.

A few years later, Citroën was attempting to capitalise on its reputation for suspension innovation – the hydropneumatics system introduced in the legendary DS went on to define the company’s large cars for decades.

The 1988 Citroën Activa 1 marked the debut of ‘Hydractive’ suspension, which paired the original system with electronic control systems and went on to feature in the XM and Xantia models. The prototype was built by Bertone, a long-time collaborator, and was followed by 1990’s Activa 2.

The jazzy pastel hues and patterns of the Xanae mark it out as peak 1990s design. This lozenge-shaped minivan had a multifunctional interior and went on to influence the form and functionality of the original Citroën Xsara Picasso, launched in 1999.

The 2007 C-Cactus brings us practically to the modern era. The Cactus name made it to production as the C4 Cactus in 2014, sharing some of the concept’s stance and absence of conventional grille. The concept was a showcase for recycled materials, amongst other innovations, just as this decade’s Oli and ELO concepts have pointed to new manufacturing, material and layout arrangements.

‘For nearly 107 years, Citroën has continuously reinvented itself while remaining faithful to its fundamentals: meeting individual mobility needs, cultivating closeness with people, and offering comfort and design that are uniquely ours,’ Citroën’s CEO, Xavier Chardon, said before the show.

As well as bringing these models back into the public eye, the company also used Rétromobile to promote L’Aventure Citroën, a non-profit dedicated to company heritage. It’s where one goes to pick up spare parts, a Citroën toy and other merchandise, as well as engage knowledgeable restoration advice.

Citroën.com, @Citroën, Boutique-Laventure-Association.com, @CitroënHeritage, Retromobile.com

Citroën’s ELO concept car was one of the standout designs of 2025. A collaboration between Citroën and French sportswear retailer Decathlon, the ELO reimagined the people carrier as an ultra-compact, ultra-flexible EV, with bold colours showcasing a highly modular interior.

Wallpaper* spoke to Charles Cambianica, head of product design at Decathlon, along with Madeleine Ternisien, a colour, material and finish designer at Citroën, and Pierre Sabas, head of advanced design and concept cars at Citroën, about the genesis of the project and the innovations it represents.

Wallpaper*: What did you want to get out of the ELO project?

Charles Cambianica, head of product design at Decathlon: Any design is a lab for the future. We and Citroën’s design team wanted to explore a certain scenario and it’s very interesting how we view things from different perspectives.

Our vision is to make sports accessible to as many people as possible, but we also want everyone to get around. We thought there’s a scenario for the future where cars are more than just mobility, so let's figure out how we can help people in their mobility journey.

W*: How is sports equipment design different to automotive?

CC: Our design methodology is a lot about the users. We observe people’s journey in sport deeply: how they behave before, during and after doing it. Our design is very functional, and the automotive industry is very strongly into design and the storytelling of the emotions of shapes. It's very interesting to learn from Citroën’s designers how they approach things, how they develop an idea, the formal vocabulary and emotions because they have strengths we don’t have.

But during the collaboration, we also realised Citroën’s team is more than this. It was also very interested in scenarios of everyday life. And that’s part of the creative DNA we have in common.

W*: What's your favourite part of ELO?

CC: It's the very small details. I really like the flat surface that makes a sort of bar all around the car. It invites you to live outside the car and interact with. It. The car is no longer just a closed cell. I like the seats you can move outside – we took inspiration for that from the original 2CV. And I particularly like the sill so you can sit on the side of the car when the doors are open. In my daily life I have a car that is much bigger than ELO but I can do so much less with it!

W*: Which are your favourite materials used in ELO?

Madeleine Ternisien, colour, material and finish designer at Citroën: The felt material used on ELO’s doors is something we've been trying to develop for a while. We’d already used the polyfabric felt in the Oli concept and had rolls of it left in our storage area. We shredded it into small pieces, then mixed the fibres together and we got this new material. It’s 100 per cent polyester, 60 per cent recycled with 40 per cent new fibres to ensure it’s got good mechanical properties.

We then put the material between two hot metal plates in the shape we want, and it's pressed out like a waffle machine. I also really like the bumpers.

W*: Why are the bumpers so interesting?

MT: It’s the polypropylene the bumpers are made of. We already use polypropylene for most of the plastic parts in our cars but in ELO, the transformation process is completely different. Instead of injection moulding the raw material as we normally do, we follow the same process as Decathlon uses for making the protective elements of its cycle helmets. The polypropylene granules are heated with steam – a bit like popcorn – and that makes them inflate and stick together.

It might look like polystyrene but it’s much less brittle and still has air in the cell structure which makes it super lightweight. We calculated by using it on the door panel insert and replacing as many standard injected parts as we could with this material, we could save about 1.2kg per door which on four doors is nearly 5kg. As polypropylene is usually never visible, we thought we’d showcase it in the bumpers. And the front and rear bumpers are identical, which also saves on production costs.

W*: Did you discover new materials by working with Decathlon?

MT: Most of the time we’re using their existing materials for different purposes. ELO’s floor covering is the same technology as Decathlon uses in its swimming caps. I saw it in one of their stores and made the connection in my mind. It’s a completely different application that’s more or less the same technology, but in this case, much stronger because it needs to be more durable for the floor. And it’s perfect because ELO is designed for living in, so needs a floor that’s easy to clean.

W*: How much more sustainable are these materials?

MT: The way they’re manufactured consumes less energy. But what’s interesting here is if you were to use polypropylene throughout say the door panel, you’d be able to recycle the whole thing because it’s all the same material.

If we used the polyfabric felt to make a map pocket for a door, for example, it’ll be 40 per cent lighter compared to a standard injected polypropylene plastic part. And you also save carbon output because pressing uses less energy than injection moulding.

W*: How was the design process for ELO different to a regular project?

Pierre Sabas, head of advanced design and concept cars at Citroën: When we do a car at Citroën, we think about our customers, but not in the way Decathlon does. That really opened our minds. The approach we usually have is we know the range of vehicles we want to compete with and the type of vehicle we want to replace, and we design knowing what to improve and what values to carry over.

With Decathlon, we took a completely different approach. First, we thought of the overall use scenario without even thinking of it as a car in the traditional sense. Then the exercise was to design a vehicle that helps solve problems or improves what’s already good in people’s lives. With ELO, we really projected ourselves into different usage scenarios and that was really interesting.

W*: Do you think there's room to design a more customer-focused car?

PS: Yes, I think it's time to rethink how we design vehicles. The industry is changing with electric cars. If you think about it, electric vehicles get closer to our home because we plug them in there, they can send us energy and they’re less mechanical compared to what we’re used to so it’s an opportunity to rethink how we consume or use cars.

There’s also the environmental pressure, the fact that we don't drive as fast as we used to and what we expect from vehicles is different. All in all, I think it's the moment to shake things up and break the mould.

W*: Do you think customers are ready for a car like ELO?

PS: As a car manufacturer, we must look to the future. Our customers may not be ready for ELO in two, three or four years’ time. But in the future beyond that we'll have to find what the next attractive vehicle is. Today we talk a lot about SUVs but one day it’ll probably be something else. Our job is to anticipate that.

Concept cars are great because they’re our opportunity to gauge peoples’ reaction to something that they weren’t necessarily expecting. If we didn’t push the boundaries with a concept car like ELO, we’d never do it with a production car; it's too risky.

Citroen.com, Decathlon.fr

A decade into the existence of DS Automobiles as a standalone brand, spun off on the promise of reviving the design delights of Citroën’s golden era, the company has created a dramatic homage to the past as a way of pointing to the future.

Quite a few people – this publication included – spent the first chunk of DS’s life urging it to be a little bit more daring in its design approach. Let’s hope the SM Tribute is the shape of things to come. By tackling one of the most iconic designs in the Citroën portfolio, the late Robert Opron’s magnificent sports car iteration of the iconic DS, the Citroën SM, the company has made a strong and elegant statement.

This isn’t just an exercise in restomod engineering, in the manner of the recent Renault R17, but an attempt to imagine how an SM would look today ‘if it had continued to develop over the past five decades’. Opron’s vision resulted in a large, space-age automobile, with vast bonnet, faired-in rear wheels and countless technological innovations. It took the quirky technical brilliance of the Citroën DS and turned into the first super-coupé, a grand tourer for the Euro-sophisticate.

Under the bonnet was a Maserati V6, a result of the two companies entering into an ill-starred joint venture in the cash-strapped 1970s. Citroën actually bought Maserati in 1968, but the revolutionary potential of this Franco-Italian marriage was only evident in this one car (and perhaps the Maserati Quattroporte II, which paired the SM platform with a boxy Gandini four-door body – just 12 were made).

This mix of Italian exotica and French design perfection has made the SM a cult object. Alongside its far more popular and successful DS sibling, it is one of the cars that many feel should be the start point for a design-led, Citroën-inspired brand. And now here it is. The SM Tribute.

Actually, the car you see here has its origins in a styling exercise back in spring 2020, when the DS Design Studio in Paris was casting around for ways to reinterpret the SM. ‘We are working on the genes of our iconic models to fuel our research into the shape of future models that will come along at the end of the decade,’ says Thierry Metroz, DS Automobiles’ design director.

DS Automobiles’ press release pointedly doesn’t use the word ‘Citroën’ at all, referring only to the SM as a standalone machine. It also neglects to bring up the spectre of Maserati, even though both brands have now been reunited under the Stellantis umbrella. It’s not massively surprising to find DS Automobiles going all-out with the full-on retro imagery, with a Paco Rabanne-style dress, lashings of brown interior trim and blurry focused presentation, in these images. Car culture is as cyclical as all other forms of visual language; it’s usually purely practical reasons like cost and legislation that stop old beloved designs from being churned out again and again.

There remains something very desirable about the SM Tribute, which made its public debut at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance car show this week, ostensibly to celebrate ten years of ‘art and elegance’ under the DS Automobiles name. As Citroën doubles down on becoming a design-led, low-cost volume brand and DS Automobiles reiterates its modern French luxury focus, this is precisely the kind of car that could give the latter a boost.

Frédéric Soubirou, DS Automobiles’ head of exterior design, explains how the team delved into the history of the SM. ‘We were inspired by studying several SM models, including prototypes and the two presidential SMs. They had a striking trait, like a signature. They gave the impression of flying on the road, they were very aerial.’ Placed side by side with the original you can still see a real delicacy to the Opron design, a quality that’s near impossible to capture in the modern era. The shift in wheel sizes over the past half century is also immediately apparent.

Although the new design ticks a few obvious boxes – part-faired-in rear wheels, the tapering bodywork and sweeping dashboard – other elements come from the application of recent DS Automobiles signature materials and finishes. These include the bi-tone paintwork, a freshly fashionable look that harks all the way back to the 1930s, and a 3D screen across the front end of the car that incorporates the modern LED lights – a nod to the original SM’s glass front.

Inside, the dashboard display is projected, with a yoke-style driving control and seats that references the defiantly 1970s style of Opron’s SM. Laser-engraved leather is paired with Alcantara in the interior. ‘It's not just a portrayal of the SM,’ Metroz continues. ‘We have respected the original design through its spirit and details. We have done a transcript and reinterpretation of the SM. But as it is not our habit to disconnect from our other work; we have included a lot of details about what DS Automobiles models and our future projects are.’

We can’t be the only ones hoping that this car – or one very like it – emerges from DS Automobiles at some point in the near future.

DSautomobiles.com, @DS_Automobiles

Having a distinctive-looking fleet is a time-worn way of giving your brand some free publicity. It’s a trope deployed by businesses since the dawn of the automotive era, whether it’s the instantly recognisable graphics of the New York Taxi, UPS vans, Zipcars or your local estate agency. For more bespoke applications, there are more and more niche models designed to turn heads, a trend that dates back to the Nissan S-Cargo of the late 1980s. 

We’ve commented on Carrosserie Caselani before, when it transformed a humble Citroën SpaceTourer into the retro-infused Citroën Type Holidays, an officially sanctioned camper van that draws on the corrugated minimalism of the French manufacturer’s iconic H-Van. 

Carrosserie Caselani Fourgonnette

Now the Italian specialist is at it again, this time with a smaller and more nimble machine aimed at small businesses who want to make a splash. The Fourgonnette is inspired by the ultra-compact commercial version of the venerable 2CV, introduced as the 2CV Fourgonnette in 1951, two years after the passenger version was launched in Paris. Designed by the great Pierre-Jules Boulanger, this rudimentary van was pitched at rural France, whether farmers or small traders. There was even a ‘Weekend’ model, with removable seats so that it could also be used as a family runabout. 

The new Fourgonnette, built with Citroën’s blessing, uses the French manufacturer’s Berlingo Van Club commercial vehicle as a base vehicle, stripping away the modern styling in favour of the rough, utilitarian style of the 2CV. Using this platform means that there’s also a fully electric option in the form of the e-Berlingo, which supplements the traditional diesel and petrol models.

In addition to a conventional two-seater van, Carrosserie Caselani also makes a crew cab model and a more conventional passenger car. It might not have the bare-bones style of the original 1950s ‘Weekend’, but it’s certainly a fun way to travel.  

Carrosserie Caselani Fourgonnette, Caselani.com, @Caselani_Official

The focus here is on both hybrids and EVs, despite the latter getting something of a rough ride in an increasingly partisan media landscape. Although it’s true that hybrid drive still makes the most sense for high mileage users, it’s worrying that some carmakers have seized on political hesitancy over electric vehicles with undisguised glee. That said, there are still plenty of new and upgraded EVs to get excited about, and even a few companies dipping a toe in hybridisation and electrification for the first time. Here’s our selection of what to watch for in the months ahead.

Audi Q6 e-tron

Audi still favours EVs that are at the larger end of the scale, and the new Q6 e-tron and performance-focused SQ6 e-tron models are no exception. Notable because they sit on the company’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) – which it shares with Porsche – the new Q6 has a longer range and much more intensive ‘digital experience’ for drivers and passengers.

Maximum range is billed as 381 miles, with the SQ6 model offering a 4.3 second 0-62 mph time (although physics dictates that these two stats cannot co-exist). Inside, the cockpit reads as a ‘Digital Stage’, helped by the addition of a new passenger screen and a curved driver display screen. There’s also an optional Augmented Reality Head-Up Display and Bang & Olufsen sound system. 

Audi Q6 e-tron quattro, available to order from €74,700, Audi  SQ6 e-tron, from €93,800, Audi.com

Porsche Panamera e-hybrid

Porsche is having a very busy year. Alongside this revision and the updated Taycan, there’s also the new all-electric Macan and the promise of the first ever hybrid 911 model to come. The Panamera range has now been joined by new 4 E-Hybrid and 4S E-Hybrid variants.

These pair petrol engines with an updated plug-in hybrid system, with an all-electric range of nearly 60 miles and the ability to charge the battery using the engine (an option sorely missing from many other PHEVs). A spacious, comfortable interior make this one of the great contemporary GT cars. 

Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and Panamera 4S E-Hybrid, available to order, Porsche.com

Porsche Taycan Mk2

Porsche has given its first fully-fledged EV a mid-life makeover, adding more range and refinement to all models, including the Taycan Sport Turismo and the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo. Upgrades include new headlights and revised front and rear styling, more advanced efficiency measures, adaptive air suspension across every model and even more performance.

All this is overshadowed by an impressive range increase of up to 35%, giving the longest-legged model a range of 421 miles, and making an already excellent car even better. 

Porsche Taycan, available to order, Porsche.com

Lamborghini Urus SE 

The newly announced Lamborghini Urus SE is the first hybrid version of the brand’s SUV. Following on from the hybrid-powered Revuelto (dubbed an HPEV - High Performance Electrified Vehicle – by the company), the Urus SE lays claim to a massive 80% reduction in emissions.

That’s not too hard to believe, given how the ferocity and volume of the standard V8-powered model gave the impression of necking fuel even when it was at a standstill. Nevertheless, the addition of an electric motor hasn’t dimmed the Urus’s power or performance, but there’s now the welcome option of a silent EV driving mode that won’t wake the neighbours. 

Lamborghini Urus SE, available soon, Lamborghini.com

Citroën C4 X Hybrid

Alongside the Citroën ë-C4 X EV, you’ll now find the new C4 and C4 X Hybrid 136. This isn’t as retrograde a step as it first appears, for the ë-C4 X disappointed with its middling range. As conventional, non-plug-in hybrids, the new models combine a 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine with a battery, reducing overall emissions and allowing for all-electric driving when the occasion demands. 

Citroën C4 X Hybrid 136, from €33,900, Citroën.fr

Cupra Born VZ

The new Cupra Born VZ is the sporting variant of the Spanish manufacturer’s excellent compact EV. Designed in line with Cupra’s intention of becoming the sporty, emotional flipside of its sister brand SEAT, the VZ is mildly tweaked for better acceleration and top speed, as well as a revised handling package. There are also sports seats, larger wheels and a new range of exterior colours.

Cupra Born VZ, more details at CupraOfficial.com

Mini Aceman

Mini’s product range is growing with the introduction of the new Mini Aceman, an all-electric crossover that is bigger than the evergreen Mini Cooper but somewhat smaller than the Countryman model.

The styling is chunkier than the former, especially the wheelarches, although elsewhere it follows the company’s new pared-back design language inside and out. The cheaper E model is joined by the longer-range SE (with a still rather meagre 54.2 kWh battery), which should be good for 252 miles. 

MINI Aceman, from £31,800, Mini.co.uk

Ineos Fusilier

The Ineos Fusilier is the all-electric variant of the eccentric but durable Ineos Grenadier, the car that scraped up the last remaining DNA of Land Rover’s original Defender and turned into a cult but costly 4x4. Starting from the same utility-inspired automotive design, the Fusilier actually sits on its own EV platform and is a bit shorter and lower than its petrol- or diesel-powered sibling. 

With a choice of a pure EV or a range extender model (with a small petrol engine that only functions as a generator for the batteries), the Fusilier will make a striking alternative to the status quo. However, it'll have to go head-to-head with Mercedes’ newly launched electric G-Wagon, the G580.  

Ineos Fusilier, register for more interest at IneosGrenadier.com

Škoda Epiq

Finally, a preview of a car coming early in 2025. Škoda describes its forthcoming Epiq as ’a battery-electric city SUV crossover,’ all part of parent company Volkswagen’s ongoing quest to create a compact, desirable and profitable c€25,000 EV. The Epiq is clad in Škoda’s Modern Solid design language, measures just over 4m long and should have a range of around 250 miles.

Note that in the electric era, a ’people’s car’ can no longer be a compact hatchback, but instead an ’urban’ SUV – such are the tricky economics of making small cars profitable. 

Škoda Epiq, more details at Skoda-Auto.com

For the most part, the electric revolution hasn’t led to a revival of ultra-small cars. Most car makers have started big and hope that battery tech and price will eventually allow the return of practical (and profitable) small cars, especially in cities. It’ll come as no surprise to find that progress on this front comes first and foremost from specialist European carmakers, where cramped infrastructure and a long tradition of compact personal mobility makes these all-electric challengers a natural fit. Here are three modern microcars to help banish the travails of urban transportation.

Small wonders: new electric microcars 

Microlino 2.0 

The Microlino was the first electrified large-scale mobility project from the people behind the Micro scooter, Wim, Oliver, and Merlin Ouboter. The two-seater has a range of 228km (141 miles) and can reach speeds of 90km/h (55mph). Evoking the post-war bubble car aesthetic, complete with a front-opening door that references the original 1953 Iso Isetta, the Microlino has four wheels, with a wider track at the front.

The compact design is low weight (around 500kg), which helps with ride, performance and range, and there’s also plenty of space for luggage. Manufacturing in Turin, the Swiss-owned company is carrying on a bold tradition of European city car design, with three trim options including Apple-esque white (‘Urban’), a two-tone retro approach (‘Dolce’), and the modern-looking Competizione. Kit includes a sunroof, LED lights, three battery options and an overall length of just 2.5m, shorter than a Smart Car.

Microlino, from CHF 16,490, Microlino-Car.com, @Microlino_official

Silence S04

Spanish manufacturer Silence has announced the launch edition of its S04, an ultra-compact two-seater that is even shorter than the Microlino and has the added benefit of removeable battery packs. The latter means you can wheel each trolley-mounted 5.6kWh battery inside to charge it off the mains, instantly swapping it out with fresh ones if you have them to hand.

Top speed is a handy 52mph, and with fully charged twin batteries deployed, the range is around 92 miles. Luggage space isn’t too shoddy either at 247 litres and the SO4 can turn in just 3.5m, the same width as a single track road.  

Silence S04 Launch Edition, £15,995, SilenceUK.com, @silence.uk

Citroën AMI Charleston Biancone

The new Citroën AMI Charleston Biancone is a fine example of Franco-Italian collaboration. Starting with the acclaimed but robustly lo-fi Citroën AMI microcar (actually a quadricycle, for legal reasons, like the other vehicles here), the Italian designer Massimo Biancone has jazzed up the design with a colour scheme inspired by Citroën’s beloved 2CV Charleston.

This retro limited edition of Citroën's enduring machine debuted in 1980, with a unique maroon and black paint job that accentuated the curves of the utilitarian classic and proved so popular that it was quickly added to regular range, surviving all the way until the 2CV’s eventual demise in 1990, after 42 years of production. 

Biancone’s light conversion embodies the spirit of the original, adding to the Ami’s cultish lustre (previously highlighted by the My Ami Buggy limited edition). Inside there’s a new single-spoke steering wheel – a signature Citroën feature – retrimmed seats and a roll-back canvas roof. Compared to the other two microcars featured here, however, the AMI’s single 5.5kWh battery offers up a range of just 46 miles with a top speed of just 28mph. Slow and steady, but definitely stylish.

Citroën AMI Charleston Biancone, details at AMIcharlestonBiancone.com, @AMIcharlestonBiancone

This round-up of 24 transportation design innovations for 2024 is driven by curiosity rather than any attempt to be comprehensive. The following machines – whether wheeled, winged or just seats or buildings – are all dedicated to making mobility just a little bit easier, more elegant and, hopefully, more efficient. Some are practically in the bag, while others may be subject to slight delays. Read on to discover some of the many ways we’re hoping to get around this year.

Transportation design innovations to expect this year

Lotus Emeya

Lotus’ Eletre SUV was a hugely credible start to the company’s latest revival. 2024 will see the launch of the Lotus Emeya, a four-door sports EV that’s aimed squarely at the current market leader the Porsche Taycan. Sharper styling, innovative tech and graphics and sharp handling are all promised. 

LotusCars.com

Porsche Panamera 

The latest version of Porsche’s mighty Panamera amps up the electrical content for more range and performance, all the while refining the design of the company’s original four-door sporting GT. The outgoing generation was one of our favourite fast four-doors, and the new model looks set to exceed it in every respect. 

Porsche.com

Volkswagen ID.7

Another big saloon, albeit cut from a slightly less sporting mould, Volkswagen ID.7 is the latest model in its all-electric line-up. With a projected range of around 384 miles, the ID.7 is set to be one of the longest-legged EVs to debut this year. 

Volkswagen.co.uk

BMW i5 Touring

BMW’s i5 Touring is the first application of electrification to the company’s traditionally styled estate cars. While estates have been overlooked for too long in favour of SUVs, there’s also an EV estate on the way from Audi, signalling a slight but significant shift in the scale of aspirational cars. 

BMW.co.uk

Hyundai Ioniq 7

Previewed by the Ioniq Concept ‘Seven’ from 2021 (shown here), the forthcoming Ioniq 7 is pitched as the Korean company’s flagship SUV model. Closely related to Kia’s EV9, the Ioniq 7 will be spacious and flexible, as well as distinctively designed.  

Hyundai.co.uk

Cupra Tavascan

Cupra is ploughing ahead with its conversion to a pure EV company. Next up is the Tavascan, a fast-back compact SUV that’s the most coherent representation to date of the Spanish company’s strangely gothic form language. 

CupraOfficial.co.uk

MG Cyberster

As the first electric convertible sportscar to market, the Cyberster is going to attract a lot of attention. Considerably larger than the compact MGs of old, the Chinese-owned brand is still hoping to capture some of their original magic. 

MG.co.uk

Polestar 4

Polestar previews its products well ahead of time, so the shape and style of the 4 is no surprise. Following on from the Polestar 3, an SUV, the Polestar 4 is an SUV coupé, a crucial stylistic distinction that gives this car an elegant silhouette. 

Polestar.com

Volvo EX90

Also incoming from Sweden is the new Volvo EX90, a seven-seater SUV that looks set to embody all the archetypal Volvo qualities – safety, practicality, steadfast style – in an all-electric package.  

VolvoCars.com

Fiat 600e

The upcoming Fiat 600e is much more than an upscaled 500e. Sharing a platform with Jeep’s accomplished Avenger, this modestly sized EV uses Fiat’s friendly design DNA for a more practical everyday proposition. 

Fiat.co.uk

Citroën ë-C3

Billed as the first ‘affordable European electric car’, the Citroën ë-C3 channels the spirit of its stripped-down Ami microcar and Oli concept. With an upright stance, simplified visual language and sub €25k price, the company is positioning this as a 2CV for the 21st century. 

Citroen.co.uk

New Mini EVs

The electrification of Mini gathers pace in 2024 with electric versions of the Mini Countryman and Cooper on the way, along with the Aceman crossover SUV. 

Mini.co.uk

Volocopter Air Taxi

While all the four-wheeled debuts are signposted way in advance, innovations in aerial transport rarely commit to fixed timescales. Air taxi start-up Volocopter has vouched to have a service up and running for this summer's Paris Olympics; will this prove over-ambitious? 

Volocopter.com

CityAirbus NextGen

Airbus Industry’s CityAirbus NextGen is still very much a prototype machine, but 2024 should see this all-electric, four-seater eVTOL aircraft take its first flight. The eVTOL market is crowded with concepts but the backing of Europe’s largest aeronautics company makes this one to watch. 

Airbus.com

Wisk Aero

US air taxi developer Wisk Aero is assembling the production prototype of its sixth-generation aircraft in California with a view to flying the fully autonomous four-seater craft sometime this year. Wisk’s strategy of skipping human pilots altogether is markedly different from potential competitors. 

Wisk.aero

Hill Helicopters HX50

Compared to the futuristic forms proposed by the eVTOL companies, Hill Helicopters is somewhat conventional. Building a traditional rotorcraft from scratch is still a tall order, and the UK-based is focusing on first-time buyers with its sleekly designed five-seater.

HillHelicopters.com

Passenger Terminal, Mumbai

Also coming online late this year are the passenger terminals and control tower at Mumbai’s new D.B. Patil International Airport. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in the firm’s characteristic expressive modernist style, the pavilion-like terminals will be surrounded by lakes and feature voluminous curved roofs. 

NMIAirport.co.in

LAX APM System

Although mass transit and the United States go together like oil and water, Los Angeles Airport has made an effort with its new automated people mover (APM) system. Linking LAX’s terminals with transport nodes outside the airport itself is a start, but in a country where Disney World’s monorail system is allegedly the 9th largest mass transit system, don’t expect any Elizabeth Line-style grand gestures.

LAWA.org

Lufthansa Allegris seating

Lufthansa passengers will finally get an uplift in every class in 2024, as the company rolls out its long-awaited new Allegris seating systems. First and Business Class customers flying the airline’s newest A350 and 787 will get the upgrade this summer. 

Lufthansa.com

Air New Zealand Skynest

Air New Zealand runs some of the longest-haul routes in the world. To make the journey fly by, the company is rolling out its innovative Skynest bunks for passengers flying to New York and Chicago, both 15-plus-hour routes. The pod-like system, designed by Kate Cameron-Donald and Zoe Wenn, offers six bunks that can be pre-booked for a chunk of in-flight sleep.

AirNewZealand.com

Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air

We’ve already previewed the sleek Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air electric speedboat, a collaboration between the sports car maker and the historic Austrian boatbuilder. This year will see first customer deliveries of this super watercraft. 

FrauscherxPorsche.com

Blue Innovations Group R30

Another electric boat to watch out for is BIG’s R30. A 30ft cabin cruiser, the R30 is designed for the big time, pitched at pleasure boat users seeking a multifunctional vessel with zero emissions, with a flexible interior and deck configuration. On-board solar helps top up the battery. 

BlueInnovationGroup.com

BMW Motorrad CE 02

Following on from the launch of the CE 04, BMW Motorrad is branching out with another electric scooter, the CE 02. With a chunkier, more stripped-back style, this is a bike aimed at riders of every ability. 

BMW-Motorrad.co.uk

Stilride 1

Stilride’s debut electric scooter is diametrically different in style to BMW’s offering, with an expressive body formed from origami-inspired bent steel. The Swedish company says the Stilride 1 will get around 120km of range, while its clever construction saves material, waste and labour. 

Stilride.com

Camper vans – including the new breed of electric camper vans – have never been more fashionable, and as their star rises, so too do the expectations of a new generation of wannabe van lifers, eager for the open road but not so hot on giving up amenities. Away from the endless variation and individuality of the custom and self-build market, there is still a lot of choice, as established companies make the most of booming interest. Here are four campers, concepts and one-offs that showcase the current state of the art.

Volkswagen California Concept

The Volkswagen California Concept is practically identical to the production version of the company’s core camper offering. The California sits below the Grand California and the forthcoming official ID.Buzz Camper, but it’s the model with the most direct lineage to the original T2 campervan of the 1950s. The concept previews the 2024 model, the seventh-generation California, which will also have a plug-in hybrid option and replace the current California 6.1.

The main update is the addition of a sliding door on each side, allowing the interior to be completely opened up with in-built awnings providing shade and shelter. Slightly larger than its predecessor, it combines the practicality of a passenger van with all the accoutrements of a camper, with swivelling front seats, a kitchen layout that can be accessed from inside and outside, and an aluminium-framed pop-up roof structure with windows, lighting and power. 

The concept also showcases a new touch-screen ‘camper van control unit’, which gives info on all the van’s systems, water levels, etc., and operates the roof and entertainment.

Volkswagen California Concept, concept only, seventh generation California available 2024, Volkswagen-Vans.co.uk

Citroën Type Holidays

This one-off model was presented by Citroën at the recent Düsseldorf Caravan Show. Although the retro-inspired ‘Type Holidays’ won’t make it to production, it heralds a revamped campervan line-up that’ll be available from 2024. The Type Holidays is a modern iteration of the company’s fabled H Van commercial vehicle, nearly half a million of which were built up until 1981 (many survivors have since been resprayed, filleted and refitted for new lives as upmarket coffee kiosks).

Working alongside the Italian coachbuilder Caselani, which has been creating old-school body styles on existing Citroën platforms for several years, the Type Holidays recreates the slab-sided corrugated metal appeal of the original. It comes complete with a bespoke interior and the all-important pop-up roof.

In addition to working with Caselani, Citroën tapped Slovenian camper specialist Bravia Mobil to kit out the concept. Underneath it all is a Citroën SpaceTourer, with a flexible interior layout, including four berths, a kitchenette and dining table, that’ll soon be available for sale. 

Citroën Type Holidays, concept only, Citroën.co.uk

Ford Transit Custom Nugget

The Nugget is the esoteric name for Ford’s Transit and Tourneo-based campervans, turning these trusty commercial vehicles into compact homes from home. For 2024, the company has used the most recent generation of the Transit to create a camper that’s also plug-in hybrid for the first time.  With space for four in the tilt-roof model, the Nugget blends Ford’s legendary reliability with camping know-how from Westfalia.

The result is a well-equipped machine awash with options, from a solar roof to all-wheel drive, as well as a car-like dashboard and a full suite of driver assistance options. The multi-zone living space has storage in every available nook and cranny, with an L-shaped kitchen, fridge, hob and sink, as well as a tailgate-mounted shower. 

Ford Transit Custom Nugget, available soon, Ford.co.uk

Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo

Not to be outdone, Mercedes unveiled its new V-Class Marco Polo at Düsseldorf. Marco Polo is the company’s in-house campervan range, complementing the huge number of industry specialists who use Mercedes’ commercial vehicles as the basis for bespoke RVs and mobile homes. As well as the compact V-Class, Mercedes also revealed the Marco Polo Module to transform its smaller T-Class van into a micro-camper (previewed by the recent Concept EQT).

The Marco Polo has been a cut above the ordinary, taking the Mercedes luxury touch to the campsite. Features include the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Control (MBAC) interface module, a touch-screen control system, and special AIRMATIC suspension that can level the van when parked up on uneven ground. 

Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo, available soon, Vans.Mercedes-Benz.com

It's a measure of the weird hybrid space that DS has manoeuvred itself into, a mass-market manufacturer aping the approach and actions of a luxury car maker. DS is carefully curated to exude an aura of niche, bespoke design, all within the umbrella of the Stellantis family. 

Motoring journalists tend to have longer memories than car buyers, and the subtle but insistent art of modern branding can be far more persuasive than the historical record. The original DS has faded far in the cultural memory – too old to even be considered a cult car. When Citroën siphoned off its big car DNA into the separate DS brand, it intended to evoke the spirit of the original, if not the actual dramatic avant-garde approach to design and engineering. 

Alongside the DS 9, the DS 4 is the best-looking car in the DS line-up. A mid-sized, raised-up crossover-style hatchback, it has the proportions to reconcile the angular front and rear treatment – all big grilles and slashed lighting – with the long flanks. The wheels sit suitably far apart to give the DS 4 a purposeful, planted stance. It feels right, not awkward, with space for the wilfully esoteric detailing to breathe. In plug-in hybrid form, the DS 4 E-Tense 225 will run 62km on battery power alone, a welcome chunk of zero-emission driving that’s paired with a sprightly petrol engine.

Inside, there’s even more character. The graphics on the central screen are eccentric but by no means offensive, and DS’ designers are sensible enough to realise that it’s the tactile touch points like buttons and roller dials that provide the most obvious and gratifying interactions with a car. Hence DS 4 is awash with little breaks from the norm, like the windowsill-mounted electric window buttons, or the concealed ventilation system. 

DS 4 and its low-key luxury

There’s a lot of low-key luxury going here – from the heated massage seats to the use of hand-stitching on some of the surfaces, embossed leather, and innovations like night vision, active suspension that scans the road ahead, and a customisable info screen – that is normally found much higher up in the market. 

As a case in point, DS has created a nappa leather ‘culinary trunk’, part of its drive to celebrate the ‘Esprit de Voyage’ conjured up by its cars. The trunk was designed by DS’ Design Studio Paris and fabricated by French leather goods manufacturer La Malle Bernard. It was developed in collaboration with the Michelin-starred chef Julien Dumas, containing the kinds of items needed for a tasting trip to vineyards and olive oil producers, rather than an out-and-out picnic. It’s available in edition of ten, for either the DS 4 or DS 7 Esprit De Voyage editions at a cost of €4,000. 

Aiming too high, or an example of luxury’s democratisation? Regardless of the perks and quirks, the DS 4 ticks many boxes. It is easy on the eye, easy to drive, and a very straightforward car to live with. Some of the design decisions verge on the perverse, but historically that’s exactly what hardcore Citroën owners craved – a bit of deliberate difference that set them apart from the mainstream. 

DS 4 Esprit De Voyage hybrid, from £44,650, DSAutomobiles.co.uk

Thus far, the EV revolution has had the biggest impact at the large end of the scale. Big saloons, crossovers and SUVs have been the focus of most car makers’ push for electrification, with space for all the luxurious accoutrements, functions and accessories that befit the upscale price point.

But what if electric cars were stripped back and simple? Citroën is one of the few mainstream manufacturers to explore this avenue. The company has plenty of experience of such ‘people’s cars’, and reckons there’s a ready market for a low-cost, no-frills electric runaround. Something that can do for the modern, eco-conscious consumer what cars like the iconic 2CV did for the auto-hungry masses in post-war France. 

The dainty Citroën Ami: mobility goes miniature

This is Citroën’s dainty Ami, a two-seater urban quadricycle of the most rudimentary nature (guises also include a limited-edition beach buggy, My Ami Buggy). That’s not to say it isn’t an extremely sophisticated and clever design, but it’s also very far from being a conventional car, with all the downsides that brings. 

Citroën is of course perfectly adept at building conventional electric cars, but the Ami shows a company willing to take a punt on exploring what sacrifices people might be willing to make in order to stand out. 

The all-in weight of this little vehicle is around 485kg, or slightly less than the mass of the 75kW battery pack in a Tesla Model S. It’s therefore unsurprising to find that the Ami is also light on battery capacity, with just 5.5kW available, giving a theoretical maximum range of 47 miles. 

Unlike other EVs, there’s no mighty shove when you stand on the accelerator, just a spirited lurch for the first few metres and then steady progress up to the Ami’s 28mph top speed. Apparently, it’ll go faster, but legislative requirements in its native France ensure the speed stays low to open the Ami up to 14-year-old drivers (16 in the UK). 

Be thankful for the restrictions. At v-max, you can practically hear the electrons grinding themselves into kinetic energy as the little battery does its best not to expire. Steering is nothing to write home about either, with a lack of feedback and reaction time, probably to encourage you to both concentrate hard on where you’re going and discourage any sudden, de-stabilising moves. In the dark, in the rain, the Ami feels visceral, alive and even slightly illicit, towered over by regular cars, dwarfed by buses.

All this makes it sound like the Ami is more of a trial than a treasure, but there’s actually a lot to recommend. If your use case intersects with the Ami’s modest, specialist skill set, there’s nothing else like it to be had. The design is a case in point. Cleverly, the car uses only a single casting for the front and rear bodywork, while the doors are also symmetrical – they simply open in opposite ways. Other details are similarly minimal.

There’s no boot, just a small slot for stuff behind the thin seats and a deep passenger footwell, together with a handy hook for hanging bags. Instrumentation is rudimentary – just an LCD screen for speed, charge and range – as well as a dock for your phone and a slot for a cylindrical Ultimate Ears Bluetooth speaker. Door handles are red loops of canvas, soundproofing is non-existent, and the trim is hard, unyielding unpainted ABS plastic, just like the exterior. 

Is the Ami the future of urban transportation? Probably not, but it’s a welcome addition to the mobility mix. It paves the way for Citroën to hold sway over the oft-overlooked segment of truly affordable electric mobility. Up next will be a car inspired by the company’s OLI concept, which takes the Ami’s minimalist approach but scales it up to a full-sized, regulations-compliant four-seater. 

Radical in form and use of materials, it remains to be seen how much of this innovation will translate into production. For now, the Ami is the most curious car you can buy. 

Citroën AMI, from £8,695, Citroen.co.uk/ami

The Citroën ë-C4 X Electric might not be the company’s first foray into the EV sphere, but it does represent an attempt to blend the two key strands in its current design strategy. On the one hand, there’s the inevitable and imminent shift to pure electrification across the range. On the other, there’s the integration of a slightly more eccentric approach to design, signified here by the ‘X’ designation but also represented by the dainty AMI and the innovative OLI concept. 

We’ve already driven – and praised – the C5 X, a big hybrid crossover that impressed with a winning mix of practicality and eccentricity, recalling the big Citroëns of old (the halcyon days of automotive design for many nostalgic creatives). This is the electric version of the C5 X’s smaller sibling, the ë-C4 X.

Here’s where it gets confusing. The ë-C4 X is a more rugged and slightly stretched version of the existing ë-C4, which shares a shape with the standard C4. You can only get the ‘X’ version with an electric drivetrain, unlike the C5 X, which is available as regular ICE and hybrid. It’s a shame that all these names and numbers get so muddled because these days Citroën builds a brilliant product but is tripping itself up with this approach.

In principle, the new ë-C4 X Electric aims to occupy a similar niche to the larger C5 X, a car with the raised ride height of an SUV combined with a rather more elegant profile. In practice, it falls slightly short. Idiosyncratic elegance is Citroën’s jam, or at least it used to be, but the ë-C4 X looks more like a jacked-up standard saloon car than a bold new archetype. We have a problem with practicality being sacrificed in favour of style, especially when what’s deemed to be practical is actually rather more stylish.

There’s little to fault in the driving experience, which delivers a smooth electric drive, nicely balanced and with up to 222 miles range. In practice, as with all EVs, you should shave off 10 per cent of this total for the use of fripperies like aircon and heating, plus another 10 per cent is lost when the battery is only charged to around 80 per cent to give it a longer life. As a result, the near-guaranteed 180 miles range means the ë-C4 X falls squarely into range anxiety territory when a longer trip is attempted.

All-in-all, the ë-C4 X feels unnecessarily compromised. It doesn’t have a strong, idiosyncratic character that allows you to overlook faults, nor does it perform so well that you cease to care about its looks. Similar mix-and-match cars like Škoda’s Enyaq Coupé iV and the Renault Arkana suffer from the same kind of identity crisis; grand tourers that don’t inspire a grand tour. Personal transportation is high stakes; we’re sure Citroën is capable of pushing the envelope a little bit further. 

Citroën ë-C4 X Electric, from £31,995, Citroen.co.uk

One thing is certain about the new Citroën C5 X: it stands apart from convention. Not an SUV, nor a saloon, the company’s new flagship is what the industry dubs a ‘crossover’, a vehicle that smooshes together various different approaches to design and packaging.

Although saloon cars and estates fell out of favour in the face of the all-conquering SUV, the writing is on the wall for big, heavy cars.

Unsurprisingly, after a couple of decades of using 4x4s to boost profit and status, many car makers are now struggling to work out what comes next. For Citroën, a long-time specialist in innovative, individual, and quirky design, it’s a gift.

The C5 X is an excellent car. Available as both a powerful plug-in hybrid with a 37-mile pure electric range and a more conventional petrol engine, it majors on comfort, quality, and refinement.

Citroën doesn’t really do screaming performance or apex-busting handling, and given the way car culture is going, it’s doing the right thing.

Citroën’s big cars have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, although it’s often been a lonely path that few others bothered to follow.

Cars like the DS, CX, and XM used sophisticated hydro-pneumatic suspension for a gliding, limousine-like ride, along with power-assisted steering and brakes long before anyone else.

At 4.8m, the C5 X is a big car, yet it manages a very low drag co-efficient of 0.29, thanks to the long roof and tapered tail.

Citroën’s chevron logo has been cleverly integrated into the bonnet and grille and while the general proportions aren’t art school perfect, the whole package gives off a strong sense of having been carefully thought about.

The company describes the interior as ‘lounge-like’, but actually it shares something of the sci-fi ambience of its predecessors. It’s different from the norm and all the better for that.

The hybrid might be the top of the tech tree, but the entry-level petrol version rides just as well. Inside, there’s plenty of space thanks to the estate-like rear profile (although the days of three-row seven-seaters are sadly long gone thanks to safety and packaging issues).

There’s a lot of talk about ‘moving the Citroën brand forwards’, especially in markets like the UK (and to a much lesser extent the US) where there is a huge amount of residual good feeling towards the brand.

Stunts like exhibiting the DS without any wheels as if it were a genuine flying machine, along with campaigns like the 1980s-era CX advert, with a giant robotised Grace Jones spitting a car out into a desert landscape, have given Citroën creative cachet that it never quite lost.

As well as experiencing the Citroën C5 X’s smooth competence on the road, we also spoke with the company’s global design director, Pierre Leclercq, to talk strategy, styling, and what comes next.

Over the course of his career, Leclerq has helped shape BMW’s design strategy, worked behind the scenes on projects like Marc Newson’s legendary Ford 021C concept, and been design director at both Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motors and Kia Motors in South Korea.

Wallpaper*:  Where do you think Citroën stands within the Stellantis Group?

Pierre Leclercq: We've been in this group for a little more than a year now. You would have thought it would be difficult to find our identity within 14 different brands. But the design teams meet four times a year to see each other’s projects and what they’re doing. For me, our design direction is really clear – we are different brands for different customers, with different solutions. Obviously, when you see something like Citroën Ami it’s so courageous and so Citroën. We are the most atypical car brand – it brings us to new ways of working and new solutions.

W*: Do you think Citroën has a flexible, avant-garde image that lets you go to places other brands might not be able to?

PL: Completely. We work a lot with Fiat and Peugeot, of course. We’re all mainstream brands, but with completely different results. Fiat has a dolce vita spirit and retro design [see the new Fiat 500 EV] that works perfectly for them. Peugeot is incredibly strong in terms of design [see the Peugeot 508], probably with a more aggressive sportiness than what we do. At Citroën we always try to be disruptive, although perhaps it is more of a chaotic approach than other brands.

W*: The C5 X feels like a brave car for Europe today, although you’ve always had that eclectism as a brand, with a 2CV sold alongside a DS, for example. Do you think we’re going to start seeing more crossovers and people moving away from SUVs?

PL: Electric platforms give us different proportions, and lower cars have better aerodynamics. We will probably end up making cars that are fresh and different from what we know as SUVs today.

W*: Citroën doesn’t seem to have a strong historic connection to a particular engine. Is that quite refreshing as a designer, not having that association to maintain?

PL: We’re definitely not a performance-orientated company – we leave that to other brands. With the C5 X, even with a small engine, you can experience how much we push for comfort and serenity.

W*: There also seems to be space at the bottom end of the market, although it’s hard to make small, inexpensive EVs, for something like an electric equivalent of the 2CV?

PL: For sure. The Ami has something of the 2CV about it, not because it looks like the 2CV, but because the design brief was very disruptive, and we had to work very closely with engineering. It’s our role at Citroën to bring mobility for all. But also what we need to do is create an iconic vehicle that is supremely practical and affordable, because that’s what our customers want.

W*: Is it difficult for Citroën to combine its status as something of a cult brand with that of a mass-market manufacturer?

PL: My answer is yes, yes, yes. There have been products in the motor industry that only designers loved but which didn’t really sell. But to be honest that doesn’t interest me so much. A product is great when it sells a lot. If you look at Ami in terms of sales, it’s quite surprising because it was a big risk for the company, but it has worked.

W*: What about the need to use a modular approach to design to create flexibility?

PL: That is a must when you’re in a group of 14 brands. Within a car, there’s also another level of modularity and accessories. We did this with Ami, in particular. The intention of the brand is to become more international. We’re trying to reach more markets like South America, India, Asia and not be so Euro-centric. We’re always trying to push the company forward, while our CEO, Vincent Cobée, probably has the strongest ethics of any CEO I’ve worked with.

W*: What comes next?

PL: We have a concept car coming in a few weeks. Next year there will be more big projects, with a change of brand identity. 2023 is going to be a very big year for Citroën.

INFORMATION

Citroën C5 X, from £ 26,750

citroën.co.uk

Buoyed by the positive reception afforded its diminutive My Ami Buggy concept from December 2021, Citroën has taken the opportunity to capitalise on the summer heatwave with a strictly limited-edition production version. 

Just 50 examples of the My Ami Buggy will be available, sold online from 8 August 2022 through a dedicated website. We’ve got a lot of time for the Citroën Ami.

All-electric, ultra-diminutive, it’s enjoyed cult success in its native France ever since it was transformed from concept (the Citroëon Ami One) to reality a couple of years ago. Clever sales and lease initiatives are combined with the delight of being able to scoot around urban centres in spaces that are off-limits to almost every other kind of car. 

This new edition is a glorious nod to France’s burgeoning beach car culture, epitomised by one of the Ami’s distant ancestors, the Citroën Méhari.

This cult car was built on the 2CV platform and featured bold-coloured plastic bodywork and a wholly optional roof. It was joined by the Renault 4 Plein Air (an electrified version of which is also available), and scores of these eccentric machines survive in beach and island communities around France. 

The My Ami Buggy blends khaki bodywork with stabs of sizzling yellow – particularly on the modular dashboard.

It eschews the regular (albeit symmetrical) doors in favour of open sides and metal tubes, and the UV-treated canvas roof is a classic nod to beach buggies old and new and can be removed completely and stowed in the car.

Citroën’s design team have had fun detailing the My Ami Buggy as if it were a piece of technical equipment, part military, part utility, all entertainment. The pun in the name must have been irresistible. The diminutive 14in wheels are finished in gold, and the whole ensemble looks a little more patinated and road-worn than the ‘standard’ car.

Even if you don’t snare one of these khaki-hued beach machines, the two-seater Ami is still a world apart from even the smallest EV, offering up a distinctive and defiantly different mode of transport. 

INFORMATION

Citroën My Ami Buggy 

citroen.co.uk

The international design community has a long-standing passion – fetish, even – for quirky French vehicles. It can all be traced back to the legendary Citroën DS of 1955, but many other oddballs, from city cars to limousines and commercial vehicles, have followed, all of which have displayed a streak of idiosyncrasy that’s becoming increasingly hard to find. Citroën has always led the pack, although there have been some notable challengers from Renault and Peugeot along the way.

Some, if not all, of this heritage has been lost to progress. By the time Citroën launched its first Berlingo in 1996, the flimsy angularity of vehicles like the H Van and the 2CV-based delivery vans and pick-ups were not fit for purpose in a world of crash tests and airbags, even if their practicality was undiminished.

The first Berlingo presented the modern face of multifunctionalism. Developed in collaboration with Citroën’s then sister-company Peugeot, it had to do many things; it was both a commercial vehicle and an MPV, with a boxy form designed to maximise interior space and practicality. As with the best pieces of functional design, the Berlingo’s character came from its utility and simplicity.

Of course, no volume carmakers build ‘true’ utility vehicles anymore for European and American markets. Building a car is a complex equation that requires integrating stringent regulations into brand values. As a result, the third generation Berlingo, launched in 2018, has lost a little of the latter. The platform still doubles up as both van and car and is still shared across brands (now extended to Opel and Vauxhall, as well as also being used by Toyota).

As of this year, Stellantis, the parent company that oversees Citroëon, Opel, Vauxhall and other familiar names, has removed the conventionally powered platform from sale to private customers; from now on, Berlingos, along with Peugeot Partners and Rifters, and Vauxhall Combos, are all pure electric vehicles (this doesn’t apply to Toyota’s offering, nor to the commercial variants for the time being).

It’s a bold step, for part of what gave the Berlingo its niche appeal was the combination of rugged simplicity and endurance. It is, after all, still a van with windows punched in it. There are chunky bits of plastic, inside and out, with a jazzy seat pattern marking the only concession to fashion or consumerism.

As an EV, however, it loses a crucial bit of functionality. That’s not because EVs aren’t fit for purpose, but the ë-Berlingo simply doesn’t have the range to do the vehicle justice. The 50kWh battery pack is rated for up to 174 miles, a figure that proved more than optimistic in our hands. As an urban delivery vehicle, this is no problem at all. Even as a taxi, it makes sense (estimates suggest an Uber driver does between 60 to 100 miles a day). But as a go-anywhere machine, it is lacking. Whatever the demerits of the old diesel engine, the combustion-powered Berlingo was once good for 600-plus miles between refills.

It’s going to be many years before affordable, utilitarian EVs can attain such lofty figures, if ever. In the meantime, Citroën is hoping that a new mindset will emerge, one that favours ultra-small, efficient vehicles for people and light goods, as is the case with its little AMI One. The AMI is the true heir of the 2CV, but it’s still very much a niche outlier – whereas nearly four million 2CVs were built over four decades of production.

In parts of the world where smaller, lighter vehicles aren’t subject to anything like the same kind of safety oversight as the EU and US, anything goes. China’s best-selling EV is the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, an ultra-compact four-seater with a 75-mile range and not a snowball’s chance in hell of protecting you in a high-impact crash.

Like all of Citroën’s smaller cars, the Berlingo shows us one facet of modern utility, with flourishes of colour and form that exist to serve brand identity, not function. These still don’t detract from the solidity of the basic package. The car is available as an XL seven-seater model, which ramps up the taxi connotations still further (as does the larger ë-SpaceTourer model) but offers unbeatable amounts of space.

Perhaps it’s not time to mourn the death of well-designed utility just yet. If the range is no barrier – and there are plenty of use cases where it needn’t be – then the ë-Berlingo is still a credible machine. Few modern cars are as spacious, simple, and unburdened by image. We can’t wait to see what the next generation brings.

INFORMATION

Citroën ë-Berlingo Electric, from £31,995

citroën.co.uk

The chunky Citroën C3 Aircross has been given a mid-life overhaul to keep it current and competitive in the increasingly crowded ‘B-SUV’ segment. This is the realm of compact crossover-type vehicles, a typology that has become the most commonplace car on European roads in recent years. Inspired by the high driving position of SUVs and their solid, go-anywhere image, the B-SUV is the modern baseline of what an ordinary, everyday car should look like.  

Regardless of whether or not you think this is a good thing, the C3 Aircross does its job admirably. Larger than the conventional hatchback form of the basic C3, the Aircross has a few nice design touches, inside and out. These hark back to the proto-industrial forms of early Citroën classics like the H Van and the 2CV, especially in the slightly devil-may-care approach to conventional beauty.

However, the strict functionality and economy of those classics doesn’t really apply here, because the C3 Aircross’ visual utility is purely cosmetic. For example, the multi-layered front grille is in no way elegant, but it does impart a certain no-nonsense spirit. In short, this car doesn’t try too hard to be lovable, in the manner of a Fiat 500 or a MINI. There’s plenty of scope for personalisation, some very comfortable seats and a well-equipped dashboard, and the car is spacious and safe, with the added bonus of that jacked-up SUV ride height. 

We’re living through the protracted death throes of the internal combustion engine. Right now, small capacity engines are a more economical and efficient way of propelling this kind of car, so it’s unsurprising to find that there are no hybrid options.

There’s even a couple of diesel options available, both using Citroën’s extremely economic BlueHDi engine. Given all this, we’d consider the C3 Aircross to be a fine example of a soon-to-be-extinct genre, an evolutionary dead end that will be obliterated by the EV asteroid. 

It’s unlikely that C3 Aircrosses will still be scuttling about our roads in a couple of decades’ time, unlike the hardy survivor that is the original 2CV. The company’s future lies with the newly electrified C4 range and bold experiments like the Ami city car.

Although the C3 Aircross might not make a cultural splash, it shows that the simple, straightforward, and rather traditional automobile is still in demand for now.

INFORMATION

Citroën C3 Aircross, from £18,180

citroen.com

At the start of May 2021, Citroën unveiled a new flagship model, the C5 X. The new car is a bit of a design hybrid, in that it brings together several different styling elements; the space of an estate car, the sleekness of a saloon, and the ground clearance and stance of an SUV. It was previewed by the 2016 Cxperience concept and marks the company’s return to having a big, dramatic model in its fleet. Citroën has a mighty heritage of innovation, not just stylistically but also in terms of engineering. The type of car overseen by Robert Opron in the 70s and 80s has now been largely overshadowed by the dominance of SUVs, so it’s a welcome return to elegance for elegance’s sake, albeit still shaped by the demands and economics of the modern motor industry.

Citroën’s Head of Design, the Belgian automotive designer Pierre Leclercq joined the company in late 2018, having previously worked on BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce designs for the BMW Group, as well as stints as design director at Great Wall Motors in China and Kia Motors in South Korea. Citroëns have been in Lelclerq’s own family for generations, so this appointment was something of a spiritual return for him.

We spoke to Leclercq about the C5X, the recent Citroën AMI and his aspirations for the brand.

Wallpaper*: The motor industry is going through a massive amount of upheaval with the introduction of electric cars. Do you think this will help bring Citroën’s engineering and design heritage back to prominence?

Pierre Leclercq: For me, the most interesting thing is the architecture, and of course the work with the engineers in house in order to do clever design. In the automotive industry a lot of the technical innovation is created by suppliers, who work with every company in the world. You pick and pay for it. But for example, the Citroën AMI is not really automotive design – it's more industrial design. In the past, the company did some very clever work between design and engineering – the 2CV for example. And we can still do that today. 

W*: Architecture was a point of reference for many of the early Citroën models. Are you now well placed for a time when cars are less about motion and dynamism and excitement, and more about multi-purpose spaces?

PL: That’s very true for Citroën, because a lot of our customers are looking for utility. As I see it, the car industry is splitting into two very distinctive directions in the future; on the one hand there is mobility, and on the other hand there are traditional cars. We still have room to make really sexy cars for customers, because mobility products will not necessarily look like cars – they’ll be more like industrial design or consumer products.

W*: Do you think the AMI ethos could be applied to a larger electric vehicle – a symmetrical object that is something more like a flexible, mobile interior space?

PL: The AMI itself is right on the edge of legislation in terms of size and weight. It can’t be any bigger. But we have a lot of ideas for AMI, we’ve just launched the My Ami Cargo. It’s a vision that many customers are already interested in. It’s also inspired some of the other projects we're working out right now. It was a very clever packaging solution.

W*: Moving on to the C5 X, it’s a big Citroën which is something that design-orientated buyers have often gravitated towards in the past. But it’s necessarily the most commercially optimum vehicle segment. How do you reconcile that?

PL: We’re aware that the market for sedans has been going down for many years. But it’s also true that more and more people driving SUVs today wouldn't mind being a bit lower – they just don’t need such big cars. The C5 X is trying to find a niche and to create something new. It’s a bit disruptive in that respect. And it’s a very exciting car to drive – it puts a smile on your face, it’s beautiful, and it carries our DNA. Also, it has amazing interior space, especially in the rear. This car is developed for a global market – thinking of the Chinese market in particular, which is very important.

W*: Citroën has been a big player in China for a long time and you’ve also got a lot of professional experience there. Do you think we’ll still have different cars for different markets?

PL: I’m happy to work in a company that has fewer models overall but all which are global cars. We want a create a strong brand image and we’re trying to understand new markets like India and South America. Europe is our biggest market, which is not a bad thing because it’s very stable.

W*: Citroën has always had a real focus on utility, with the 2CV, the Dyane, the H Van, even the C15. Do you think that pared-back, utility focused design will become increasingly important in all markets, not just in the developing world?

PL: Absolutely. We did some studies a few years ago and our customers want utility and versatility. They’re totally different from a Peugeot customer who is more of a conventional automotive enthusiast. So utility is a part of all our projects. Those historic cars were created with a completely different design brief to a regular car – the 2CV was not a city car but intended for people in the countryside. The brief was initiated by Pierre-Jules Boulanger, who wanted to create ‘a car that can carry four people and 50 kg of potatoes at 60 km/h’. My mother had a 2CV and a Dyane and I can remember my father, a doctor, driving around all the villages in Belgium in that car to see his patients. It was perfectly suited to that environment.

W*: What's your favourite element of the C5 X?

PL: The front architecture has a tension and dynamism that works together really well. And the rear has a great shape. I'm obviously super happy that we’ve managed to incorporate the silhouette and DNA of Citroën. When you see it driving on the road it will definitely stand out. This is very difficult to achieve today, so I think we have created an object that will be quite unique.

INFORMATION

citroen.com

The Citroen DS started the 20th century as the preeminent designer fetish object. Yet the last two decades have seen the fabled French automobile lose some of its lustre, as emerging young designers get less and less likely to include a car in the catalogue of things that inspire them. This new book is perhaps the final word on the creation, status and legacy of that remarkable automobile. Authored and illustrated by the Swiss architect Christian Sumi of Burkhalter Sumi, The Goddess – La Déesse is a piece companion to the British architects Alison and Peter Smithson’s book ‘AS in DS’, originally published in 1983 and re-released by Lars Müller in 2001, a new edition that was also edited by Sumi.

The DS’s legendary status is due to three things: Flaminio Bertoni’s design, the media circus that surrounded its unveiling in 1955, and — for the design-obsessive — the car’s inclusion in Roland Barthes’ Mythologies. Barthes declared the DS as the contemporary equivalent of a great gothic cathedral, a ‘purely magical object’ that has ‘fallen from the sky’. And finally there was the name: ‘DS’, a not-so-subtle play on the French word for ‘goddess’, practically demanded one bow down and worship at the car’s technical and aesthetic sophistication.

The book includes comprehensive archive imagery of Bertoni’s design approach together with extensive analysis of new studio photography demonstrating how the DS evolved over its lifespan and the detailing that still makes it so distinctive. Sumi and the Smithsons were not the only architects and designers to be smitten, but the car was also a popular hit and stayed in production for 20 years, with nearly 1.5 million models made. It continues to define Citroen — the company’s stand-alone sister brand is actually called ‘DS’ — and many are still on the road.

The final chapter features a series of images taken by Sumi of a DS graveyard in France, a field of these sleek wonders slowly rusting and being reclaimed by nature. Could the DS’s reign as a supreme design object be coming to an end? Although the name lives on, this book serves a fitting eulogy for an enduring symbol of consumer fetishism on its path from delight to decay.

INFORMATION

The Goddess – La Déesse, Christian Sumi, Lars Müller Publishers, €35
lars-mueller-publishers.com

Pictured top, Pininfarina Battista (around $2m). Pitched as Italy’s ‘most powerful ever sports car’, the Battista packs 1,900hp of battery power within its sleek frame. Go easy, and you’ll get a 280-mile range. pininfarina.com. Pictured bottom, Rivian R1T Truck (available in 2020). Boasting a 400-mile range, the Rivian Truck (also joined by a new SUV) is an all-American utility vehicle hoping to bring rugged, go-anywhere chic to the EV market. rivian.com. 

As of this month, you’ll be able to put down a deposit on a brand new Volkswagen ID, a Golf-sized all-electric vehicle that comes pre-loaded with a weight of expectations. The car itself won’t be shown to the public until this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and this sight-unseen marketing strategy is hitherto unknown for a volume car manufacturer. Two things have changed the automotive landscape in the past decade. The first is the unpredictable combination of aspiration, ego, innovation and bottomless funds that has driven the American manufacturer Tesla to the forefront of the industry. The second is the fallout from the Volkswagen emissions scandal, a corporate cluster-bomb that had the unintended consequence of vastly accelerating change by killing off the very fuel it was trying to promote.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are now all the rage. At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, EVs were thick on the ground, from high-end sports cars to compact city runarounds, over-styled crossovers, outlandish luxury SUVs and conventional family cars. Almost overnight, the EV market has blossomed to fill every niche. For the industry, the shift to EVs is a no-brainer; brands will flourish under a system that promotes zero-emission driving. Over a century’s worth of automotive heritage will simply shift gear to accommodate a new generation of car buyers. For governments, cities and the public, the answer isn’t so clear. Tax revenues from fuel sales look set to plummet, while congestion and auto-centric urban design will persist.

Pictured top, Citroën Ami One (concept only). Citroën’s Ami One is a nod to the French firm’s innovative small city cars of the mid 20th-century. The two-seater is aimed squarely at the urban market. citroen.com. Pictured bottom, Polestar 2 (from €59,900). An all-electric fastback design, the Polestar 2 promises a new approach to car ownership, with seamless digital integration and smart minimal design. polestar.com.

For aspirant carmakers, this shift seemed an opportunity. Building an auto brand from scratch is a colossal undertaking, but EVs have lowered the barrier to entry, with shared platforms and far lower start-up costs. Where Tesla led, others followed. The clean-slate approach of new names such as Lynk & Co, Byton, Nio, Faraday Future and the revived Fisker brand, or even the secretive Dyson project, suddenly all seemed to have a place at the table. That window of opportunity may be narrowing, though.

Volkswagen has dug deep into its corporate pockets and set about reinventing itself as an electric powerhouse. By 2028, it promises 70 new electric models across its various brands; it claims it will be a CO2-neutral company by 2050. Other manufacturers are also taking stock. In 2017 Volvo was first to announce that all its new cars launched from 2019 would be hybrids (either ‘mild’ or ‘plug-in’) or entirely electric, with 50 per cent of its fleet being pure electric by 2025. Honda also recently committed to the total electrification of its European sales output by 2025. Porsche (a Volkswagen subsidiary) is making a massive push, bringing the sleek Taycan saloon to market later this year, with other EVs to follow. Other makers are adopting the strategy of electrifying small cars and keeping hybrid tech for larger vehicles.

For many car owners, the EV is still an unknown. Big name support might bring confidence, but other companies are resorting to another tactic: pure temptation. Electric vehicles represent a new design opportunity in an image-obsessed industry. BMW’s i division debuted in 2013 with two defiantly distinctive models, the i3 and the i8. Jaguar’s i-Pace is the style-obsessed manufacturer’s most glamorous and desirable car, while debut EVs from Audi, Mercedes, Mini, Hyundai and Kia all major heavily on design. Honda is bringing out a chic little city car in 2020, previewed by the delightful e Prototype, while other quirky urban electrics include Quadro’s eQooder (bolstered by a collaboration with Tod’s), Citroën’s Ami One, Seat’s Minimó and Fiat’s Concept Centoventi (a rather late entry for a company with gold-star heritage in the urban sector). Brands such as Polestar and Lynk & Co (both owned by Chinese manufacturer Geely, which also owns Volvo) combine contemporary design with new ownership models, reasoning that future drivers might not need to have 24-hour access or responsibility for their own vehicle.

Other start-ups are going further still to bring EVs into every conceivable niche. Rivian is hoping to create an ‘electric adventure vehicle’ sector. The American company’s R1S SUV and R1T pick-up truck are due on the road towards the end of next year and boast a 400-mile range (‘San Francisco to Yosemite and back’). Rivian’s vice president of vehicle design, Jeff Hammoud, describes an emphasis on design from the outset. ‘The first thing we paid attention to is the proportion,’ he says, explaining that the company’s EV platform (which it may license out) allows for a plethora of body styles and functions. Branding is also consciously different. ‘Trucks have grilles to communicate strength and power – they tend to be very big. We don’t need a grille, but we have kept everything intelligent and blunt. That identity also has to scale into the future.’

Hammoud describes Rivian’s style as a ‘Patagonia jacket, not an Armani suit’, emphasising the brand’s inherent functionalism. The rebirth of Lagonda, on the other hand, is pitched at the consumer of luxury attire. Part of Aston Martin since 1947, Lagonda resurfaces in 2021 with an SUV, previewed at Geneva by the All-Terrain Concept. Purely electric from the outset, the target is the Rolls-Royce market and the ethos is contemporary luxury, underpinned by cutting-edge craft, materials and tech. ‘We aim to reimagine luxury travel in a way that could only be done in the 21st century,’ says Gerhard Fourie, Aston Martin Lagonda’s director of marketing and brand strategy. ‘We don’t see luxury and technology at opposing sides of the spectrum; together they can create wonderful experiences.’ Luxury buyers seem keen to embrace the new. ‘We obviously get the strongest reaction from customers who are open to change,’ Fourie admits. ‘They have strong views on design and quite a healthy relationship with the technology in their lives – I’d say they are “technology enabled” rather than “technology obsessed”.’

Pictured top, Lagonda All-Terrain Concept car (available 2021). Lagonda’s All-Terrain Concept will hit the market in 2021 as the first luxury electric SUV. The British brand, revived in 2018 by Aston Martin, is majoring on design and quality. lagonda.com. Pictured bottom, Honda e Prototype (available 2019). Inspired by the original Honda Civic, this prototype previews Honda’s ultra-compact city car, a neat four-door with retro styling, a chic interior and, of course, zero emissions. honda.com

Also at the high end you have the Pininfarina Battista, an electric hypercar that’s out to steal the super-rich away from their Ferraris. ‘If we want to do justice to the brand we have to start where people perceive us,’ says Automobili Pininfarina’s CEO Michael Perschke, who describes the 89-year-old design house as the ‘Château Lafite of car design’. The Battista – named after the brand’s founder, Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina – is intended to be the ‘most powerful Italian sports car ever made’. With a motor in each wheel, the car will have a scarcely credible 1,900hp (over 25 per cent more than its conventionally powered rival, the Bugatti Chiron). ‘The design is a balance between radical technology and timeless Pininfarina design,’ says Perschke. ‘We want people to fall in love with an electric car for the first time.’

For well over a century, the motor car has been a totem of identity as much as a mode of transport, embedded for better or worse within society and culture. The success of all these cars depends on the premise that the automobile is here to stay, yet calls to curb or cut out car use are given increasingly serious consideration. Early EV adopters might have already reaped all the available rewards, sucking up the rebates, subsidies, free parking spots and absence of tolls. The other as yet unanswered question is that of charging. Although manufacturers are helping new networks seed across the road system, what’s really needed is a top-down overhaul of park and charge infrastructure, from city streets to supermarkets. That’s a whole different story. What’s certain is that for a time at least we’ll have more cars, not fewer, as EVs blur the lines between concept and reality and find new ways of seducing the drivers of the future. 

As originally featured in the June 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*243)

In the early sixties, Citroën produced a car name Ami. It was conceived as a more adult and urban alternative to the French marque’s popular tiny 2CV. The Ami 6 and 8 ran for two generations, and were nicknamed 3CV for their boosted power. Today we’re about to experience an entirely different ‘ami’. In the spirit of both cars, Citroën is presenting the Ami One, a concept conceived to gauge the possibilities of the urban commute in a car with an approximate footprint of the 2CV, but with a thoroughly modern outlook.

The original deux chevaux was famously designed to help motorise French farmworkers in the 1930s, a time when horses and carts were still the primary mode of rural transport. The Ami One conceptually does the same, albeit for the modern, metropolitan worker. The study vehicle offers a glimpse into how mobility might look in our ever-sprawling cities in the not too distant future. Citroën says the technology is all possible today, and that a similar mobility solution could possibly happen in the next five years.

So, what is it like to experience? The car we’re testing is purely a prototype, so the feel and drive are not as polished as a fully-fledged production car. That said, the short run in the confines of a controlled environment is fun and easy – everything on this little friend is considered and intuitive.

The Ami One is fully electric, and it seats two adults comfortably offering plenty of room in front of the passenger and in the rear for bags and shopping. The design is more akin to that of a personal gadget than a motor car, with a simple cubic form in which you sit upright and tall. Some exciting ideas for automotive come into play too. For instance, the doors are made of identical panels – rear-hinged for the driver and front-hinged for the passenger – to minimise the number of parts produced and cut manufacturing costs. Similarly, the front and rear bumpers are the same parts – only positioned differently. Then, for a dose of extra cost-cutting and an unfussy touch, the Citroën double chevron logo is simply a flat sticker.

‘We debated this at first,’ says Pierre Leclercq Citroën’s new design director as he sits in the passenger seat, ‘but it felt like the right thing to do with this car. Our design approach was to be restrained, and we looked to product design and manufacturing processes for this car’. The Ami interior continues this modest approach, pared down to the basic needs of short distance travel, without looking too austere. This is mainly due to the pop colour scheme and modern textiles. Leclercq says novel sustainable materials will be explored if this car is to get the green light. The driver seat adjusts back and forth, and tilts to make room for luggage (a set of which is designed by the team to blend with the interior). There are no electric window winders; you have to manually operate these, the slim wing mirrors and canvas roof.

The Ami One is designed to be a shared, hop-on-and-off, or privately-owned transport idea for young urbanites. Your smartphone essentially acts as the central interface – place it behind the steering wheel and it provides the info and music through the Bluetooth speaker. If you change car, your settings come with you. Citroën has rightly identified that the next generation is unlikely to love the motor car as much as their forebears. What matters is simplicity and personality. As a hire car, the Ami One is easy to clean and maintain, with on-board elements made of materials inspired by garden furniture and public transport. If, however, someone wishes to buy an Ami One for themselves, there would be the option to remove these panels and add your own personal touch; Leclercq is keen to encourage this personal artistic freedom.

The mechanics are also straightforward. The battery sits under the occupants’ floor and a small electric motor drives the rear wheels. Electric range, we are told, is somewhere around 100 miles with charging predicted to take a couple of hours. What’s more, the Ami conforms to quadricycle regulations, which means it requires the same licensing as a scooter, and with a top speed of 28mph, in some countries it can be driven by under seventeens without a driving licence.

There’s something else. As we start to drive, the Ami One ‘hums’ ‘Free to Feel’, a track composed by Alex Jaffray and Gilles Facérias especially for this car. With new regulation insisting that silent electric cars have a sound to warn other road users, Leclercq says Citroën is exploring its sonic options for an electrified future. Surprisingly, the subtle track seems to work well.

Alongside parent company Groupe PSA, Citroën is fully committed to electrification. This Ami One has egalitarian ambitions. It provides mobility for young urbanites in any city around the world. The Ami has some maturing to do, but as a concept it is an inspired product, a 2CV for a new generation of drivers.

INFORMATION

citroen.co.uk

André Citroën’s exploratory zeal defined the pioneering attitude of the 1920s and 30s. A master of marketing, his expeditions in Asia and Canada and through the Sahara publicised his eponymous car brand and his own car manufacturing prowess. His intentions were multi-faceted, and his journey through central Africa in 1925 was also fuelled by a desire to not only create a route through new terrain, but also to increase the quality of life of its surrounding residents.

It is an aim now edged with ethically ambiguous colonial implications, not least because Citroën drew directly from the locals he encountered, appropriating their image to define his brand.

He worked with sculptor François Bazin who created hood ornaments which quickly became collectors’ items. Bazin’s powerfully sculpted designs depicted the head of the Zairean tribeswoman Nobosudru, who went on to leave Africa and find fame of her own.

Bazin’s granddaughter has now interpreted these richly historical adornments into four jewellery collections. They are the result of a collaboration with jewellery workshops in Paris who endowed the original sculptures with a contemporary functionality.

Nobosudru’s face was cast as earrings, rings and bracelets using the lost-wax process, reproducing the original form of the sculpture. ‘I really fell in love with this sculpture and its story,' says Julie Bazin. ‘I selected sterling silver as the prime material for the jewels, as I wanted a precious but casual metal.'

She refused to use rhodium finishing as she wanted a material that ‘lives with the time and develops a patina.'

The resulting effect means warm, pale-gold colours begin to emerge the longer the pieces are worn. It's a fitting reflection of Nobosudro's perennial beauty and majestic form, which lives on as miniature sculptures, which are as functional and beautiful as her grandfather originally intended.

INFORMATION
fbazin.com

As we’ve noted before, DS is Citroën’s upscale, design-driven brand, a standalone company that nevertheless shares engineering with its venerable parent but attempts to distill the quirky visual sense and strong characters of the great Citroëns of the past.

The new DS3 Crossback will be its biggest-selling model, an upscale compact crossover that comes in regular and electric flavours, cramming in plenty of aesthetic kinks to sate the desires of those looking for something different. One of the sad realities of modern mass-produced cars are that differences are pretty thin on the ground, with brands spreading the shallow application of identity across a plethora of shared platforms. DS aims to bring depth of design to the lower reaches of the market, believing that some people will always pay more to be out of the ordinary.

The DS3 Crossback joins its larger sibling, the DS7 Crossback and sits above the original DS3, the car that began life as Citroën but was so successful it drove the separation into two separate companies. Other markets get more DS models – China for example has a DS4, DS5 and DS6. The original DS3 is now rather long in the tooth, and in any case, hatchbacks are being supplanted by compact crossovers like the Crossback. Aimed squarely at popular cars like the Audi A2 and VW T-Cross, the Crossback is similarly pumped up but modestly scaled.

Outside, the new car has a tough, determined stance, with a rear three quarter view that’s chunky and bold. The garish front grille lets the side down a little; as a brand, DS is slightly trapped between the need to make a bold statement and the desire to be defiantly different. There are too many cars out there with vast grilles, acres of unnecessary brightwork and baroque light clusters; perhaps the coming fleet of all-electric cars will simplify things somewhat (although a pure electric DS3 Crossback E-Tense is waiting in the wings it is visually identical to the ICE version).

Inside is where the Crossback really stands out. It’s hard to say it ‘shines’, for this is a dark, moody cabin, with pre-patinated leather, black trim and angular stylings. It is certainly different, even somewhat eccentric and while the functionality isn’t 100 per cent intuitive, that is the price you’ll pay for going against the mainstream. The DS3 is modestly entertaining to drive, lacking slightly in zip and character, but the small size is good for urban spaces, and the full quota of cameras makes manoeuvring easy.

Ironically, perhaps, the Crossback is being slightly usurped by the sales success of Citroën’s own C3 Aircross, a stubby compact SUV that continues the parent brand’s design renaissance, an area when it is arguably outshining its new sub-brand. The only question that remains is whether DS should continue to insist on standing alone, when its achievements and approach make more sense as part of the ongoing Citroën story.

INFORMATION

DS3 Crossback, from £21,550. dsautomobiles.co.uk

Citroën is injecting a little bit of futuristic pizzazz into its brand. Hot on the heels of the foursquare Ami:One city car concept (see Wallpaper’s June 2019 issue, on newstands now) comes the 19_19, a new vision for a diametrically opposed travel niche – the long distance journey.

That means electric drive – naturally – with an impressive predicted range of 800km, along with some heavy-duty autonomous technology. The concept makes the most of the various sensors required, allowing them to protrude out of the pod-like bodywork in a sci-fi fashion, while each wheel is almost fully encased in a wraparound fender, set apart from the passenger compartment.

Inside, Citroën has embraced the living-room-on-wheels typology that has defined so many autonomous concepts, with a forward-looking, sport-themed cabin that's made up of three distinct types of seating. Fabrics are stretchy, materials hi-tech, screens are discrete and the driver's seat is a faceted, 1970s sci-fi wonder.

Switching on autonomous mode reconfigures the dashboard and there's also Citroën’s take on the near-ubiquitous on-board AI assistant. There are hints of aviation design, along with flashes of branding and inspiration from the company’s archives, but overall there's nothing retro about this future vision.

As its name suggests, the 19_19 harks back to 1919, for this is Citroën’s centenary year and the company clearly felt the need to revive some of its radical past. We've long rhapsodised about the French brand's mastery of avant-garde design and equally innovative engineering, and although its conceptual visions have never been less than extraordinary, the company's production cars spent a couple of decades mired in a very atypical blandness. Does the 19_19 imply bolder things to come? We certainly hope so. 

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Citroën website

Arguably, the quality and depth of concept cars on display at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show was the best for years. Certainly that was the opinion of most of the commentators we bumped into while walking the halls of the Palexpo exhibition located next to the Swiss city’s airport. Which made it all the harder to whittle down to our list of favourites.

But here goes anyway. Here are the next generation concept cars unveiled at the motor show, including product design-inspired city cars to ultra-luxury electric SUVs.

Citroën Ami One

The award for ‘most photo-friendly Geneva concept’ could easily go to the Citroën Ami One. Celebrating 100 years in 2019, the charmingly idiosyncratic French brand unveiled its 2.5m long city car concept as egalitarian low-cost transport – even for those without a regular driving licence – as the tiny electric two-seater is simple to use and doesn’t go above 30mph. Special emphasis was placed on making the car more affordable to manufacture, with a symmetrical design featuring fewer unique parts. Accordingly the left and right-hand doors are identical – opening in opposite directions so the hinges can be positioned in the same place – and various bumpers and panels are interchangeable. Sit inside and the cabin feels remarkably spacious but still with significant storage. There is also a display slot where you can plug in your own smart phone to substitute for a built-in driver or satnav screen to reduce complexity and cost. Aimed to be either ‘pay-as-you-go’ via an app or owned outright with greater personalisation, Citroën’s head of interior design, Jean-Arthur Madelaine-Advenier tells Wallpaper* the car is for a new kind of traveller. ‘It’s not meant to appeal to a car freak,’ he says with a smile, ‘the aesthetic is different, it’s for a wider and younger audience. The Ami One is more like a “connected” object.’

Kia Imagine

‘We tried to create a car that’s hard to categorise, not clearly a saloon or a hatch and certainly not a dry-looking electric vehicle either,’ Alex Daniel, Kia’s exterior creative manager says of the South Korean brand’s Imagine concept. Boldly named, the result is equally so, especially the interior, with an original mix of the flamboyant and the technical. Instead of just one large infotainment central screen the Imagine’s dashboard proposes 21 iPad-sized ones, fanned out like a pack of cards from door to door. Meanwhile the leather-covered carbon-fibre seat shells ape the look of intricately folded paper and the inner door panel surfacing resembles metal that has been artfully hand-beaten. As Imagine’s interior designer Ralph Kluge concludes: ‘We wanted an airy and roomy cabin but also wanted it to be more inviting than the normal rational approach.’ They’ve succeeded.

Lagonda All-Terrain

Aston Martin had one of the busiest stands at the Geneva Motor Show unveiling four exceptional new vehicles – from a production-ready V12 hypercar to a V6 supercar concept – but the Lagonda All-Terrain concept also caught the eye for signalling the arrival of Aston’s all-electric luxury offshoot brand, starting production in 2022. Following the limousine-shaped 2018 Lagonda Vision, the 2019 All-Terrain concept signposts that there will also be a large and capable electric SUV in the Lagonda range, able to extend luxury travel well beyond the Tarmac and in a cabin environment more akin to a well-appointed front room – with lounge-style seats and softer fabrics including cashmere.

Nissan IMQ

Nissan has been showing various new SUV concepts – mainly electric-powered in some form – for a few years now. Standing out in their angularity of exterior aesthetic, global head of design Alfonso Albaisa tells Wallpaper* the concepts are examples of the firm ‘expressing its roots more than before’ and in the case of the new IMQ concept specifically, an example of the Japanese word Kabuku ‘to embrace the strange or unusual’. The closely-spaced new grille of the IMQ is particularly fresh and the interior features laser-cut fabric on the dash and door panels inspired by a latticed woodwork technique used in classical Japanese screens called Kumiko. Insiders suggest the IMQ gives strong design pointers to the next Qashqai compact SUV and the concept also highlights Nissan’s next generation e-Power system – which utilises a small petrol engine to charge the battery for an electric motor to then power the wheels – and which is already a success in Japan. The firm will be bringing the tech to Europe by 2022.

Fiat Centoventi

According to Fiat Chrysler head of design Ralph Gilles, Fiat hasn’t made a concept car for about 15 years, such has been its focus on production car realities and profitability. So the Fiat Centoventi concept came as a genuine surprise at the Geneva show. Celebrating 120 years of the Italian company – thus the name – the concept features a host of modular and low-cost ideas. These include a battery housing with extra slots so the customer can purchase more packs to facilitate greater electric vehicle range – like a home computer that can similarly cater for ‘extra memory’ needs – and a white-only exterior to which various roof, bumper, wheel covers and external wraps can be added to bring colour and personalisation. In keeping with the anniversary theme, there are 120 accessories initially envisioned and 114 of them – including seat cushions, door storage and a sound system – could be ordered online and fitted by the customer at home, or 3D-printed, in the case of one cup-holder design. The idea is these items could also be resold and traded on the internet when the owner fancies a change, all of which Fiat thinks could promote a greater community of fans for its brand.

Piëch Mark Zero

The wild card of this 2019 Geneva concept car selection is the Piëch Mark Zero concept. The Swiss-German start-up’s company name comes from co-founder Toni Piëch, the son of former VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch and great-grandson of VW Beetle creator Ferdinand Porsche no less. Big boots to fill then, but Toni Piëch believes his company brings something different to the table. The Mark Zero pairs timeless design – recalling classic Jaguar and Maserati styling cues among others – with a new technology package underneath that he says could dramatically reduce electric vehicle charging times close to a conventional combustion engine’s fuel tank fill-up. Piëch Automotive is touting a speed of 80 per cent full in five minutes as possible and says its modular hardware and software concept can accommodate many powertrain types more easily while being easier to update than traditional carmakers’ platforms too. Three types of car are being planned – a two-seater, four-seater plus a sporty SUV – to be produced by existing and experienced contract manufacturers. But the bigger ambition seems to be for Piëch Automotive to market its modular structure to other car manufacturers as part of a business-to-business model. Early days then, but interesting.

INFORMATION
Geneva Motor Show runs from 7 – 17 March. For more information, visit the Geneva Motor Show website

When the Citroën DS debuted at the 1955 Paris motor show, legend has it that 80,000 deposits were taken in ten days. The DS was not a prestige car; post-war austerity was barely over and there was no demand for luxury or high-end motoring. But it was an engineering masterpiece, an undisputed design icon that cemented the company’s reputation for innovation and caused a clamour for orders as a result.

Today’s DS flagship is a very different beast. For the model generations that followed the DS, Citroën led with big saloon cars, favoured by presidents, architects and eccentrics for their fearsome combination of technical trickery (chiefly in the form of unique hydro-pneumatic suspension and steering) and quirky styling. The DS was succeeded by the CX, XM and C6 – cars that were truly avant-garde but almost always outsold by rivals. Citroën’s small cars – in the no less innovative form of the 2CV and Visa – took on more and more importance. With the coming of the MPV era, the saloon car was all but dead. With its passing, many believed Citroën’s flourishes and eccentricities were also doomed. Instead, the company found a new vocation supplying people carriers large and small.

When Citroën hived off ‘DS’ as a standalone brand, commentators hoped that, henceforth, interesting designs would be created by DS Automobiles, leaving Citroën to concentrate on the tough business of creating big sellers. Yet paradoxically, ever since that decision, the parent company has rallied, returning with quirky small cars like the C3 and C4 that retain Citroën’s off-beat style without sacrificing any practicality. Ironically, the shiny new DS division has been lumbered with vehicles that do little to advance the cause of Gallic idiosyncrasy. Crossovers are notoriously tricky cars to style, melding the jacked-up profile of the SUV with the function-defying roofline of the coupe. To date, the DS4 and DS5 haven’t offered anything more substantial than their Citroën equivalents, with only the original DS3 and the newly announced DS3 Crossback keeping the flame.

This is the DS7 Crossback, the designated brand flagship. With its faceted, angular dashboard it seems to have taken a leaf from Lamborghini’s self-consciously dramatic interior design (only with the surprise addition of a little Deco-esque dashboard clock). Unfortunately the interior also shares Lamborghini’s disdain for ergonomics, with a flashy angular digital interface that recalls turn of the century web design. Externally, the crossover body shape hasn’t given the designers anywhere to go but up, and although the chunky body style fits perfectly in its class, it pays no heed to heritage. Admittedly, the DS7 is far classier than many of its rivals in terms of finish and materials, although its designer credentials speak of modern luxe rather than quirky originality.

So what is DS trying to do? The answer is sell to markets that care little about the cultural baggage of six decades ago. The original DS became a design icon through a quirk of history, championed by semioticians to shoulder the theory that a mass-produced car best represented the hopes, dreams and prayers of a newly industrialised society. Cars have plenty of competition in our technology-filled age, which is partly why DS places so much emphasis on in-car tech and gadgets. Most importantly, the company hopes to grow its Chinese division, where it partners with Changan Automobile and already has a couple of market-specific models.

In summary, it appears that 2016’s sleek DS E-Tense concept and the earlier Divine DS concept pointed to a design route that the company decided not to explore; Citroën’s own CXPerience Concept from 2016 was a more convincing take on low-slung future luxury than either. We suspect that at Citroën’s expansive design centre in the wooded hills outside Paris and shared with sister company Peugeot, someone is probably still holding a flame for the big Citroëns of old, drawing up endless iterations of what a DS of tomorrow should really look like. As it is, the DS7 certainly makes a statement with its plush, confidently different interior – it’s just not the defiant shout of originality we’d been led to expect.

INFORMATION

DS Automobiles DS7 Crosback, from £27,000. For more information, visit the DS Automobiles website

Citroën recently held a specialist auction in Paris to clear out the reserve collection of its celebrated Conservatoire. While it’s never great to see car companies selling off the family silver, the Leclere sale in December 2017 also revealed some uncomfortable truths about the marque. In among the brochures, sketches and random bits of rally cars there were precious few far-out concept designs (happily those are being kept). But of the one-off cars that were being sold, most were surprisingly prosaic. They showed a company in danger of losing its design edge, more concerned with fashion than form, with innovation abandoned somewhere in the fug of the noughties.

By eschewing the eccentric big saloons and endearing compact cars that made its name, Citroën was set to miss out on the designer revival of the past few years. The company’s retreat from this self-imposed design wasteland was to revive the ‘DS’ name, first as an upmarket edition of its regular models, then as a standalone sub-brand, more luxurious and premium than the regular cars, and now as a standalone premium brand in its own right. It’s a source of some irony that since DS has found its own two feet, the parent company has had a couple of bona fide hits that evoke the company’s glory days. The C4 Cactus, the new C3 and the forthcoming C3 Aircross are all quirky, original cars that stand out from a rather bland sector. 

The limited-edition Moondust is suited and booted with leather trim and accessories galore

If you want a little bit more, the thinking goes, you’ll forego the everyday model range and upgrade to a DS. The DS4 Crossback, seen here in its new limited-edition Moondust trim, is a crossover – a fashionable genre that draws inspiration from the pumped-up aesthetics of the SUV, except on a more modest scale. The Crossback isn’t big or especially brash, although the silky body colour certainly helps it stand out. Despite having such a vast repository of design ideas to draw upon, the Crossback could be commended for ignoring retro design and trying to do its own thing (although perversely, we see hints of the classic old 2CV in the curve of the rear and the two pronounced creases on the flanks, which probably wasn’t the designers’ intention).

This is a capable, everyday car with a light touch of everyday luxury. Compact enough for the city, perfectly comfortable on the open road (although serious off-roading isn’t its forte), the DS4 Crossback is also a conundrum. If you want more space, the company’s vast new DS7 Crossback has just arrived. If you want design, it pains us to say that Citroen’s own C4 Cactus does functional aesthetics rather better. But maybe that’s because the Cactus remains defiantly rough and ready, distantly related to the farm machinery stylings of the original 2CV. This is not what DS is about. The DS4 Crossback offers up leather trim, accessories galore and that silky paintwork, creating a far more premium package. The DS is a worthy contender in the increasingly hardfought small SUV sector, possessing a character all of its own. Whether it’s the character DS intended to convey is another matter. 

INFORMATION

Citroën DS4 Crossback, from £22,765. For more information, visit the DS Automobiles website

Citroën Conservatoire, Paris, France

André Citroën founded an automotive empire with a Gallic twist, inspired and driven by engineering but also mindful of expression and emotion in car design. Throughout its history, the marque has meticulously chronicled and archived its output, resulting in the creation of the remarkable Citroën Conservatoire, a collection of over 400 vehicles (and 1.5km of document shelving) that catalogues the design evolution, technological innovation and sheer stylistic bravado that has always been central to the brand. The collection includes pre-war production models, quirky commercials, unusual concepts (a helicopter among them) and variants of the legendary DS. Mint examples of humble 1980s hatchbacks sit alongside burly rally machines and priceless one-off prototypes. The company’s long-standing relationship with officialdom is charted in the set of stretched saloons built over the decades for inhabitants of the Élysée Palace, while the opposite extreme is marked by development models created for the groundbreaking 2CV and the rough and ready Méhari buggy. The archive is open to the public – prebooked tours only – and it’s tempting to speculate that this ready grasp of nearly a century’s worth of archive material helped shape Citroën’s recent revival of the ‘DS’ name as a standalone, upscale brand in its own right. As displays of singlemarque design diversity go, the Conservatoire is unrivalled, offering lessons in transport design that still look ahead of their time.

Pictured, Citroën’s U23 bus from 1947, with bodywork by Carrosserie Besset, alongside the ill-fated RE-2 helicopter concept, intended as a rival to American manufacturers. In the foreground is a classic 2CV Fourgonnette, the light commercial vehicle that transformed rural France, while one of two custom-made SM Presidentials can be seen at the rear.

Riva tunnel, Monaco

Monaco Boat Service began life in 1959, when the family-run Italian boat-builder Riva sailed into the public eye as one of the defining elements of Riviera style and glamour. MBS was one of the company’s premier sales and maintenance outfits on the Mediterranean coast, making the most of its splendid location and starry clientele. The company’s pier still stretches out into Monaco harbour, and has displayed a polished line-up of desirable vessels, from the late Carlo Riva’s celebrated Aquarama, built from 1962 onwards, to contemporary Aquarivas and other high-tech sports boats. Carlo was instrumental in bringing the company to Monaco, and to cope with the need for more space to restore and maintain its clients’ precious charges, he instigated the creation of the Riva Tunnel. Initially designed to drystore 100 boats, the tunnel was blasted out of the Rock of Monaco, beneath the seven centuries-old Grimaldi Palace. Today the company is overseen by Carlo’s daughter, Lia, and continues to make a major contribution to the daily lives of Monégasques. Collectors flock to the site to participate in the annual Riva Trophy and the vintage Aquaramas are still a common sight in the bay, especially during the principality’s yacht show, when they flit between the mighty superyachts and deliver guests to Norman Foster’s Monaco Yacht Club – directly across the harbour – in peerless style. The tunnel is still very much a marine workshop, home to one of the world’s finest collections of a sea-going legends – even though the space scrubs up for the occasional party.

Pictured, a flotillia of classic Riva Aquaramas fills the tunnel, kept in pristine condition for their outings along the Rivera.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC, USA

Some of Smithsonian’s artefacts need more space than others. NASM is not so much an archive but a place where aeronautical icons go to live out their years in climatecontrolled retirement. SpaceShipOne, seen here, was the world’s first privately funded spacecraft. Bankrolled by Microsoft’s Paul Allen and designed by Burt Rutan, it was lifted to the edge of the atmosphere atop the White Knight mothership before boosting itself upwards, then gliding back to Earth. From 2003 to 2004, the plucky little rocketship undertook 17 suborbital flights, reaching a peak altitude of 112km, before retiring. Today its successors are getting ready for the big time with Virgin Galactic.

Pictured, SpaceShipOne, the world’s first privately funded spacecraft, is displayed with its wings in the ‘feathered’ postition for re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.

In the 1950s, the age of the automobile, car workshops and showrooms the size of shopping malls became a frequent sight on urban peripheries. The concrete, steel and glass Schlotterbeck Citröen Garage in Zurich, designed in 1951 by Basel architects Suter & Suter, is a perfect example. But needs change and cities evolve. Now, 65 years later, the site is part of the dense city structure and space is at a premium here. The listed building, with its double helix access ramps, has escaped demolition but is being transformed into a hybrid commercial and residential project by giuliani.hönger architects.

During the conversion phase, the changes taking place within the structure of the building are being documented by the Swiss photographer David Willen. Permanence, ruin, renovation, conservation and preservation have also shifted a lot in our understanding over time. Willen’s images preserve for us these transient scenes and spaces that we have learned to value.

Through his eyes we see a building undergoing change as a work of art, the incisions and demolitions like so many Gordon Matta-Clark cuts; found remnants shot by Willen with near pious care; or a roomful of wooden supports that are reminiscent of David Chipperfield’s 2014 art installation of 144 tree trunks in the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

This project connects the deeper dimension of time to three-dimensional space and compresses it back to us in two-dimensions in the form of images. Willen understands the aesthetic kick we get out of the intersections of great effort and entropy; the inevitable mortality of things and the nascence of the new. Through this ongoing project we get to see not just the rebirth of a building, but the birth of an artwork as well.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Project Schlotterbeck website

Photography: David Willen

This year's Salone del Mobile saw a bevy of car brands catch the design bug. Here's our edit of the best.



Setsuna by Toyota: This wooden roadster concept explores the value of a car beyond mere driving. The functioning roadster is conceptualised to explore our relationship with our vehicles, our memories, history and the physical ageing process.



The Setsuna is constructed using 86 handmade wooden panels chosen according to weight, durability and stiffness, and assembled using the traditional Japanese wood joinery method of okuri ari

Car companies are increasingly finding their way to Milan in a bid to absorb the creative spirit of Salone del Mobile; it makes sense to be involved in the wider design world given the car’s ongoing evolution from a vehicle for transport to a multi-functioning product and advanced tech gadget.



This year, Toyota presented an unusual study car as part of Fuorisalone, away from the main trade show in the vibrant Tortona design district. The Setsuna is made of wood, and at first glance it could easily be mistaken for a toy car. Yet this is a fully functioning roadster replete with an engine conceptualised to explore our relationship with our cars, our memories, history and the physical ageing process.



Meanwhile, sister company Lexus took over a former metal factory to exhibit 'Anticipation' with Formafantasma. Here the Italian design studio based its study on the Lexus LF-FC, first seen at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, to create a curious trio of installations that explore the fusion of machine, craft and tradition in the context of this hydrogen powered fuel-cell car.



The Japanese marque also exhibited its Lexus Design Awards, an ambitious annual project to support emerging international talent. Among the 12 finalists chosen from over a thousand entries were some interesting and unusual propositions. They included packaging material made from seaweed, an instinctive children’s toy set, modular clothing and a clock that visualises the present by marking the passing of time.



Also in Tortona, 'Mini Living' explored urban life, with some simple yet intriguing ideas on affordable compact housing for a utopian future. The concept saw four 30 sq m apartments share a residential building to form a micro-neighbourhood where basic assets are shared through a clever wall mechanism of rotating shelves that are pushed out into a communal space.



Elsewhere, 'Cactus Chair' by Italian designer Mario Bellini utilises Airbump, the intelligent protective side shield mounted on the Citroën C4 Cactus, for a lightweight and comfortable seating product.



Land Rover and industrial designer Odo Fioravanti created an installation featuring a surfboard, snowboard and longboard to celebrate the freedom of movement offered by the latest Evoque Convertible SUV, whilst Aston Martin joined forces with Quintessence Yachts to celebrate the imminent launch of its first luxury powerboat, the AM37.



See above for our pick of the most inspiring car-related products in Milan above...

Japanese cedar makes up the exterior, chosen for the refinement of its wood grain and its flexibility; the chassis is made of birch; strong Japanese zelkova constitutes the floor; and the seats are made of smooth Castor-aralia.



The idea is that the material will change colour and texture with time, showing the evolution of the vehicle and thus adding emotional value to the car. The Setsuna has ecological benefits too, since the modular panels can be exchanged when needed, rather than having to replace the whole body.



Meaning ‘moment’ in Japanese, the Setsuna is a romantic study of the car as a living, breathing object that matures, not just visually but spiritually absorbing the aspirations, memories and emotions of its various owners

Lexus x Formafantasma's 'Anticipation': Lexus took over a former metal factory to exhibit a trio of installations by the Italian design duo Formafantasma. Working to the overall theme of ‘anticipation’, the Amsterdam-based studio explores the fusion of machine, craft and tradition. The Lexus LF-FC fuel cell vehicle is the muse here, investigating the possibilities of the lightweight material and sustainable hydrogen energy outside the context of motoring.



For the overall structure, Formafantasma has installed translucent partitions inspired by Japanese shoji – the paper walls and doors are fixed over a lattice frame of wood to allow light to pass through and reveal shadows and shapes in a theatrical way

Visitors enter through a ‘garden’ of multiple wooden gates revealing a series of exhibition areas. The first features a set of metal stools painted, like the LF-FC, using traditional Japanese lacquering techniques that involve layering colours by hand and machine.



In the second room a large metal frame holds 7,200 delicate flowing transparent threads; an homage to early Japanese mechanised textile making, Formafantasma explains. Here a loom-like machine pulls and releases the threads that, once stretched, subtly reveal the three-dimensional outline of the LF-FC vehicle.



In the third and largest space Formafantasma celebrates the advanced hydrogen fuel cell technology in the LF-FC, used here to power a kinetic light installation. The four semi-circular stainless steel sculptures, mounted on a reflective pink platform that hides the power source, move to a choreographed slow dance.



To complete the sense of anticipation, Formafantasma worked closely with Michelin-starred chef Yoji Tokuyoshi, of Milan's Ristorante Tokuyoshi, for a range of surprising tasting experiences (pictured) centred on clear water emitted by the LF-FC hydrogen fuel cell technology as an expression of its sustainable qualities

DADA by Myungsik Jan, for Lexus Design Awards: DADA is inspired by the Korean ceremony doljabi, when on a first birthday a range of objects are placed in front of the child. What they choose is said to reveal their career. This modern rendition uses a range of natural blocks, cylinders and fabrics to pique the child’s curiosity and predict their future path

AM37 by Aston Martin and Quintessence Yachts: The AM37 is a joint project between Aston Martin and Quintessence Yachts, and the car marque’s first venture into nautical design. The name suggests its size; this 37-foot water vessel utilises carbon-fibre in its construction with a clever vacuum infusion technology to build a scalpel-sharp hull that is at the centre of its design.



The marque is promising further advances, such as interactive voice control and activation, a fully HD-integrated touch screen with navigation and multimedia system and remote control functions. The boat is expected to launch later this year

'FreeRide' by Odo Fioravanti, for Land Rover: Industrial designer Odo Fioravanti has worked with Land Rover to create 'FreeRide', an installation featuring a surfboard, snowboard and longboard to celebrate the freedom of movement offered by the latest Evoque Convertible SUV

'Cactus Chair' by Mario Bellini, for Citroën: The 'Cactus Chair' by Italian designer Mario Bellini utilises Airbump, the intelligent protective side shield mounted on the Citroën C4 Cactus, for a lightweight and comfortable seating product.



The supple TPU (thermo-plastic urethane) skin on the Airbump, with its multitude of air capsules, requires no particular maintenance and is designed to protect the car’s bodywork against knocks and scratches. Bellini’s design utilises similar technology to create a lightweight construction that offers the same levels of comfort as a traditional chair

'Shape Shifters' by Angelëne, for Lexus Design Awards: This is a new form of textile cutting for adaptable clothing to promote personalisation and reduce consumption and waste. With an MA in material futures from Central Saint Martins, studio founder Angelene Laura Fenuta looks at how modular principles can help create dynamic garments with embedded silhouette versatility

'Plants-Skin' by Hiroto Yoshizoe, for Lexus Design Awards: This intelligent, moderately permeable flowerpot is made from coloured mortar coated with hydro-chromic ink. When the surface absorbs water the white ink becomes transparent and colour appears, the gradation revealing the level of moisture, so as to indicate when the plant requires feeding

'Mini Living' by Mini, ON and Arup: 'Mini Living' explores new models for urban existence in the form of a modern shared-living concept. This inspired idea sees four 30 sq m apartments on a single floor of a residential building form a micro-neighbourhood with basic assets – kitchen, laundry, utilities – shared through a simple wall concept of folding and rotating shelves that are pushed out into communal spaces.



Here, Mini worked with Yokohama architects ON Design for their expertise in micro-housing and collaborative living, whilst the Berlin office of engineering consultant Arup provided technical support.



'Mini Living' visualises likeminded people residing almost communally without sacrificing privacy in an affordable and rather attractive housing project

'Trace' by Studio Ayaskan, for Lexus Design Awards: The clock visualises the present by marking the passing of time through a liquid that changes colour under ultra-violet rays. Conceptualised by the London-based, Turkish studio Ayaskan, a UV light beam rotates around the face of the clock to mark every second, minute and hour, leaving a trace of colour as time sweeps by, then fading back to transparency

'Agar Plasticity' by AMAM, for Lexus Design Awards: Winner of the Lexus Design Awards, the Japanese studio AMAM worked with Max Lamb as a mentor, to explore sustainable packaging using a gelatinous material made from red marine algae. The flexibility of the material means that it can be used for both cushioning and packaging; it can be ecologically disposed of and won’t harm marine line if it should drift into the sea

INFORMATION

For more information, see our Salone del Mobile live report

This year’s Geneva Motor Show was awash with interesting metal, major new launches and a new-found technological confidence. Big names made big announcements, newcomers matured and at the upper echelons of the industry there were some significant debuts. Aston Martin and McLaren were both striding forward. The McLaren Automotive pavilion at Palexpo was the perfect stage to reveal an ambitious future blueprint, including a £1bn expansion plan to produce fifteen new models and derivatives over six years, and to boost annual sales from 1600 to 5000 cars, half of which will be propelled by sustainable hybrid technology. It certainly had the show talking.

The story of McLaren Automotive is a compelling one. Its racing heritage may date back to the 1960s, yet the road car making arm in its contemporary form is only six years old. It’s hard not to fall for the marque’s premise – the creation of niche road friendly racing cars employing some of the most advanced technology on the planet from its F1 arm. What’s more, this isn’t some giant global corporation, but a privately owned small firm operating from the slick Foster-designed factory in Surrey.

Aston Martin showed the much-anticipated DB11, a car that follows the DB9 path and promises to be the most customised Aston built where even the roof colour is up for personalisation. The marque also used the occasion to reveal its new partnership with Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille for the creation of a collection of exclusive watches featuring the famed brand wings. Power and performance was also the theme at the Jaguar stand, where the firm debuted the 200mph F-Type SVR.

Elsewhere, Bugatti took the wraps off its most exclusive and powerful car, the Chiron, a €2.4m, 1500bhp GT that replaces the Veyron. Here too, form follows performance, as director of design Achim Anscheidt says, ‘it allows us to explain and orchestrate everything in an authentic way.’

There were a few alluring carbon-free proposals worth mentioning, led by the Pininfarina H2 Speed, the world’s first high-performance hydrogen car. GTZero by Italdesign is an all-electric shooting-brake study – the sleek, low profile explores the classic sports car vernacular for the sustainable era. And the DS E-Tense is a 400bhp electric GT concept debuting a supercar for the ambitious Citroën luxury sub-brand.

Lastly, Rolls-Royce showed the Wraith and Ghost as Black Badge editions. These small batch cars are aimed squarely at the new younger Rolls customer. Company chief Torsten Müller-Ötvös is calling the cars ‘the alter ego of Rolls-Royce; darker, more assertive more confident and powerful, and more demanding’.

Click through above to discover Wallpaper’s pick of the show’s top concept and production cars...

Apollo Arrow: The hypercar is all about power and performance, and only 100 cars are planned. The design, we are told, is shark-inspired and the body based on a lightweight and tough carbon monocroque. The Arrow is a fast car powered by a modified Audi-sourced 4.0-litre V8, with two turbochargers mounted on top. It is capable of developing some 1000bhp, will sprint from 0-62 in under 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 220mph. Closely based on the Gumpert Apollo, the Arrow is the first product from Apollo Automobil – the Chinese owned marque that helped revive the bankrupt Gumpert

Arash AF10: The latest car from Arash Farboud, the UK-based supercar maker, is an evolution of the 2009 AF10, now with a hybrid drive system promising some 2080bhp. The AF10 has what the firm calls five ‘warp drive units’ - four electric motors and the V8 - each with its own gearbox. Orders open, from £1.2m for the hybrid and £350,000 for V8

Aston Martin DB11: Replacing the DB9 is the DB11, and almost all of what you see here is new. The graphics are harmonious, and surfaces are kept pure - no line feels forced for an overall relaxed sensory experience. Design director Marek Reichman says they started with a blank piece of paper whilst respecting DB’s rich heritage. ‘It has a great lineage and we expressed the spirit of these cars. The DB11 though has its own proportions that are modern and relevant and will remain beautiful for the next 25 years. Aston Martin cars transcend fashion and have to remain timeless in their proportions.’

Aston Martin DB11:  The DB11 is the most customisable Aston Martin; even the roof colour can be specified. The bonnet is a single-piece aluminium clamshell, which can absorb impacts for improved pedestrian safety, and aesthetically it helps reduce the number of shut lines on the body. The grille now stretches the width of the front framed by the marque’s new LEDs, and clever aero features include the ‘curlicue’ on the wing that releases high-pressure air from the wheel-arch and directs it down the side of the car. 

This powerful and efficient DB has a new 600bhp twin-turbo V12, and a revised stiffer body structure. It is also Aston’s most connected car benefiting from the technology joint venture with Mercedes-Benz. 

‘The DBs are grand touring cars,’ offers Reichman, ‘sports cars that are developed and designed to be driven for longer distances offering more comfort, more relaxation but still being able to enjoy the sporting nature of our cars.’ Orders open, from £154,900

Audi Q2: The production Q2 is the fourth and smallest member of the marque’s crossover family. The dynamic design and colourful trim options are based on the Crosslane Coupé concept first revealed in Paris four years ago. On sale July 2016, from £22,000

Bugatti Chiron: Replacing the Veyron is this GT, the most exclusive – only 500 will be made - and powerful Bugatti production car ever built. The 8.0-litre W16 powerplant boasts four new and larger turbochargers delivering some 1500bhp and 1600Nm, and promising top speeds of 420km/h.

Bugatti Chiron: Achim Anscheidt, director of design Bugatti, explains that everything we see follows closely the marque’s principal of form follows performance. The C-shape, he notes, ‘may look like a styling element, and you can be very romantic and see a resemblance to the Bugatti signature line or even to Louis Chiron’s signature but no.’ He explains: ‘It is a performance element of how to get more air in and out of the engine compartment. Performance for our cars mainly means getting rid of the heat from the front brakes or the rear engine compartment.’

Citroën DS E-Tense: The latest concept to join the more up-market Citroën sub-brand DS is a high-performance 400bhp electric GT coupé, the first supercar in the brand. Jewellery and intricate watches informed the exterior design with its abundance of LEDs. Inspired by the evocative 1955 DS, the indicators are integrated into the roof. A digital rear view tech in the cabin replaced a physical rear windscreen. It took some 800 hours to design and build the interior with a sculpted steel dashboard and what Citroen is calling ‘watchstrap’ seat design. This is fast car, capable of 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 155mph, as well as promising a range of 193 miles

Ferrari GTC4Lusso: The FF has been given a facelift and a new name – the ‘4’ referencing the number of seats inside the latest Ferrari. The marque cites the 330 GTC, 330 GT and 250 Berlinetta Lusso as styling inspiration here. Of particular interest are the four round tail-lights, and the front grille and air vents certainly draw on the mid 60s 330 GTC. Alongside the roof-mounted rear spoiler and new diffuser, they also help with the overall aerodynamic performance of the car - this powerful shooting-brake packs some 680bhp. Orders open, from £226,000

Italdesign GTZero: The all-electric concept’s sleek and low profile explores the classic sports car shape in the sustainable era. It takes inspiration from Italdesign’s heritage, the body is made of composite light materials a modular monocoque carbon and aluminium frame with integrated batteries forms the skeleton. The clever architecture has allowed for a spacious cabin and two luggage compartments at the front and rear. Inside is minimalist in design - there are no buttons, bar the parking brake, with the controls delegated to the touch screen

Jaguar F-Type SVR: The 200mph F-Type is the first Jaguar from the marque’s Special Vehicle Operations department dedicated to creating unique limited high-performance variations. Tweaks are performance focused here, with an uprated suspension, titanium exhaust and ceramic brakes, and the 567bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 is 25bhp more powerful than the R. Orders open, from £110,000 coupé or £115,485 convertible

Lamborghini Centenario: This exclusive hypercar is based on the Aventador and celebrates the centenary of its founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. Even by Lamborghini standards this is a hugely flamboyant design, with a bespoke carbon body encasing a 760bhp V12. Orders open, from £1.6m

Maserati Levante: Making its world debut is the production car SUV with an unmistakable Italian flair expected from this extrovert marque. The larger Maserati grille dominates the face framed by slim headlights, and the rear has a roof spoiler, sporty bumper and steep windscreen. The cabin can be specified with silk made with Zegna wool mill and the marque’s latest 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system features for the first time on the Levante. On sale summer 2016, from £54,000

McLaren Automotive 570GT: McLaren unveiled the latest 570 GT at Geneva, positioned as the most practical of its cars for its luggage space and more comfortable suspension. ‘Now that we have the three lines (Sport, Super and Ultimate), it is time to establish the brand, work on credibility for people to see that we are making believable, exciting cars,’ design director Frank Stephenson confirmed at Geneva. ‘We started quietly but if you saw what’s coming you’d see we’re really moving on. Now we have the license to push further.’

McLaren Automotive 570GT: This car is meant for long distance, relaxed driving so it has been given a more comfortable suspension. The frame is a stiff, light carbon structure and the roof and rear are completely new. The GT has a pure relationship with design - a philosophy Frank Stephenson confirms remains central to the marque. ‘Everything we do has to be functional,’ says the design director, ‘although initially I thought the position was a joke,’ he adds, ‘how can you put something on top of the hot engine? The 570S is like Swiss cheese - it has holes everywhere to let the engine heat out. This car has the same engine so what we did was to suck the heat out from underneath the car, and through the lamps,’ he says smiling, ‘this has never been done before.’

Morgan EV3: The electric 3 Wheeler sports car is now offered in a new electric version. This 500kg sports car keeps its weight low thanks to a small 20kWh battery pack which still manages 150 miles on a single charge and promises the raw driving experience at the heart of the marque. Production starts winter 2016

Pininfarina H2 Speed: Pininfarina says its latest conceptual study is ‘halfway between a competition prototype and a production supercar’. This is world’s first high-performance hydrogen car, which took two years to develop alongside GreenGT who specialise in sustainable engines. Top speed is said to be some 186mph and 0-62mph can be achieved in 3.4 seconds. Inspired by racing cars, the design focuses primarily on aerodynamic efficiency. The H2 also promises a very unique sound – the compressor technology offers a silent drive with what the marque is calling a ‘futuristic whistle’

Rinspeed Σtos: Making its European debut at Geneva, Σtos is wild hybrid autonomous vehicle featuring its very own drone. The Swiss think tank and mobility lab based its concept around the BMW i8 carbon fibre and aluminium skeleton. Here eight high-definition exterior cameras monitor all external activity and automatically communicate with the city around, buildings and other vehicles. There is also a drone sidekick that docks with car and is designed to carry out daily errands

Rolls-Royce Black Badge: It reputably took four years to create the alloys with their unique and light carbon-fibre material that boasts some 22 layers of the material. Finally hand-polished paint creates a much deeper, and intense body colour than the main production cars.

Rolls-Royce Black Badge: The new Black Badge edition is aimed squarely at a younger Rolls-Royce customer and is offered only on the Wraith and Ghost, models that are more likely to be driven by their owners, rather than a chauffeur.

The Black Badge editions come in strictly limited numbers. The treatment is very much a customisation option with a black veil seeping through the grille and metaphorically engulfing the car. The colour scheme is inverted on the badge with silver letters on a black background, and the Spirit of Ecstasy changes from chrome to what the marque is referencing ‘high-gloss dark vamp’.

Toyota C-HR: The C-HR is the production version of the compact crossover fusing coupé and SUV styling, now offered with an efficient hybrid drivetrain. It stays close to the original concept and is built on the same platform as the Prius benefiting from much of the original hybrid’s technological know-how powered by the marque’s latest 1.8-litre hybrid system that promises to emit an industry-leading sub 90g/km of C02. On sale summer 2016 

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Geneva Motor Show website

It’s tough to create a car brand from scratch. Citroën’s design-orientated sub-brand, DS, is a case in point. Although it might appear detached from the parent company, its production models are enhanced versions of stock Citroën originals and it takes its name directly from one of Citroën’s most famous models, the DS of 1955. Yet there’s a textbook lesson in here somewhere about the mysterious attributes of brands. How they endure, how they vanish, and how they don’t always mean what you want them to mean.

The DS 4 is modern four-door hatchback. Neatly proportioned, with an above average dose of chrome, it’s not especially remarkable to look at. It followed the first ‘DS’ branded car, the DS 3, a small hatchback that has been a big seller since its introduction back in 2010. Today, neither car – nor the others in the DS line-up – wear the Citroën name anywhere, inside or out. They are designed to stand alone, representing a more upmarket and tailored alternative. A major face-lift has effectively created a new version of the DS 3, while the DS 4 is also substantially changed from its original iteration.

Yet something is missing. The original DS was one of the most iconic pieces of 20th century design – all design, not just car design – so why use it simply to create lightly enhanced versions of standard production cars? The answer lies in economics, rather than design. DS is about building premium volumes, finding that sweet spot established by Mini, then aped by Fiat and others. Transforming a small car into a customisable object of desire increases profits, especially important when the market views your previous stock in trade as less and less desirable. The DS 3 did wonders for the company, but we still feel a little cheated. It’s a nameplate that belongs on an engineering marvel, not an exercise in lightly applied ‘premium’ design.

And the future? At this year’s Geneva Motor Show the company unveiled the new DS E-Tense concept car; beautiful, undeniably, but not a patch on even the most functional Citroën concept study from the 1970s and 80s. If the DS story does nothing else, it reminds us of how hard it is to conjure up a coherent contemporary design strategy from scratch, without relying on retro tropes or trading on past glories. For compared to Mini and Fiat, or even marques like Alfa Romeo and, to a lesser extent, Jaguar, the production DS cars have little or no direct reference to the undeniable design glories of Citroën’s past.

The big Citroëns that followed the DS – the GS, CX, XM and C6 – were glorious pieces of car design. Something of their spirit found their way down into the smallest Citroëns, an idiosyncrasy transplant made most apparent in the original 2CV but also obvious in the Ami and Visa. A doomed partnership with Maserati in the 70s created heroic failures in the form of the massively complex but magnificent SM and Merak models, and led directly to a merger with arch-rival Peugeot. The two French giants continue to share platforms but both gradually lost their Gallic flair as the relationship matured. This loss is most keenly felt by Citroën fans, who are still mourning the slow death of one of motoring’s most individual mass-market brands.

Will DS change all that? Up to now, the name hasn’t hosted much in the way of spectacular design and innovation, although many DS-branded concept cars have made a splash (in fact, the company’s most interesting car of recent years is the self consciously low budget Citroën Cactus). But as noted above, there is nothing remotely wrong with either the DS 3 or DS 4. Each car is competent and sprightly to drive, pleasant to sit in and simple to use. There’s a soft-top version of the DS 3 and a crossover DS4, and as expected, a vast array of optional extras, colours and trim. Even so, there feels like a world of potential still embedded within this brand. Whether it ever manages to escape is a question for the future.

INFORMATION

DS 3, from £13,295, DS 4, from £19,595. For more information, visit Citroën’s website

For a brand so steeped in innovation and design flair, Citroën has recently brought out cars that have largely lacked the sparkle of their forebears. In an attempt to recapture some of this old magic, it has deployed its most famous model name - the DS - onto a new range of sportier and more luxuriously appointed cars. Combining the familiar double chevrons with a discrete 'DS' logo might be heresy for some, but this is all part of the brand's strategy to push some of Citroën's models into an upmarket region (and justify charging higher prices than if it were to use just its standard logo).

Citroën announced the new DS range back in 2009 with the arrival of the DS3, a fairly convincing high-end hot hatch that sold well, followed by the bigger but more vaguely defined DS4. The new DS5 large hatchback is arguably the most impressive of the three, with an exterior that exudes originality, a genuinely high quality interior, and engine options that include a groundbreaking diesel/electric hybrid powertrain.

The DS5's roots can be traced back to Citroën's striking 2005 C-Sport Lounge concept. Key to both is a long chrome or dark chrome 'sabre' detail that runs from the top of the headlight along the bonnet edge and abruptly stops halfway up the second window pillar. There is nothing quite like it on the road. Despite this dramatic statement and other frankly loud design details, the whole ensemble seems to cohere and doesn't look overplayed - even in a variety of colour ways.

Out on the road, the car's stance is pleasingly planted and looks balanced through corners and bends. Large black-accented gloss alloy wheels help this stance further, as does the slim wraparound tinted rear window - enhanced by a polycarbonate three-quarter window on each side with neatly built-in lip for extra aerodynamic benefit.

The DS5's cabin is even better. The dashboard layout is designed to create a sporty cockpit feel - sitting low behind the steering wheel with a high centre console, you certainly feel it. The quality of some of the details is commendable for any car, let alone a Citroën. Case in point, the thumbprint-patterned metal finish on the door handles and centre console edges - the same as found inside the ultra-limited edition £1.2m Aston Martin ONE-77. Knurled air-conditioning knobs recall those on Bentleys and chunky metal-accented window switches have an Audi-esque touch about them. The seat pad - far from standard Citroën colour and trim - is fashioned in high-end leather to resemble a watch bracelet strap.

All conventionally-powered models offer a combination of firm steering and decent road holding to make for an engaging drive. The diesel/electric hybrid - only the second such model in the world after its sister product the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid - is also accomplished, registering an ultra-low 99g/km CO2 rating and offering four modes, selectable from a knob by the gear selector. Go silently up to 37mph in full-electric zero-emission mode for short urban distances, get snappier gear changes in 'Sport' for twisty country roads, more power for all wheels in 4WD, or simply choose full automatic for fuss-free driving.

An inspired three-wheel urban run-around and a clever take on Citroën's quirky design heritage were two of the highlights at the Royal College of Art's interim vehicle design show this month.

The double challenge project, developed in collaboration with the French marque, required final year vehicle design students to imagine a small car that could establish a unique electric vehicle aesthetic for Citroën. Working with French aerodynamic simulation software company EXA, the cars also had to be as aero-efficient as possible.

Heikki Juvonen's E-3POD Antistatic was chosen as the best overall design with the Finnish student starting a six month contract at the PSA Design Centre in Paris on graduation. Juvonen has envisaged a micro-size electric pod that is positioned between the car and bicycle -- crucially the E-3POD is to be seen as an electric product rather than a car. The three-wheel electric vehicle features two smaller wheels at the front so that the driver sits inside the third larger wheel that includes a hub-less design. 'I see it as an introduction to electric driving and something that will coexist with other vehicles,' Juvonen told W* at the RCA.

Philippe Holland, head of Style Graphique at Citroën, said Juvonen's design was 'a quirky and nice sculpture, and an interesting concept for city driving'. He also congratulated James Harness on understanding the marque's design heritage and how to walk the fine line between beauty and beast with his Ugly Ducking concept. The charmingly boxy concept is a quirky sculptural piece that negates all the conventions of current automobile design.

Harness explained that he was tired of the proportions in automotive design. 'The current vanguard of automotive design expresses clichéd proportions,' says the young designer, 'and an aggressive pumped and chiselled form language that subversively distributes the idea of personal superiority and dominance.' He notes that while this aesthetic may be appropriate for German manufacturers in particular, it doesn't necessarily fit in with the identity of Citroën.

Instead, the exterior of this three-seater prototype features a combination of brave and somewhat brutal flat surfaces and organic shapes. 'It has a flat/organic form language,' Harness muses. 'I wanted to combine two form languages, 80s brutalism and more modern organic surfacing,' he explains, 'and to study the differences between them aerodynamically.' The combination of the curvaceous front and sharp, flat rear, proved to be aerodynamically almost ideal.

Holland also commended Juliana Cho's Memory Piece, calling it 'a beautiful styling object' and inline with Citroën design heritage. He added that he was very impressed with what the RCA students had produced. 'They are truly exceptional ideas for the future design of electric Citroën vehicles,' he told us. 'This type of powertrain is increasingly recognised as an important solution for economically and environmentally viable urban transport, so it's fantastic to see the electric visions of these potential car designers of tomorrow.'

Gallery & captions

Heikki Juvonen's E-3POD Antistatic electric tripod suggests a new type of electric vehicle for urban commuting. The lightweight modular construction is aerodynamic to minimise the required battery size and helps with lower production costs. The lowered weight is emphasized in design elements such as the rear wheel, which works as a supportive structural element, the shared suspension for both front wheels, and the use of scratch resistant plastic for the canopy. The silent electric engines also make sound insulation redundant, allowing for lighter material selection.

James Harness's Ugly Duckling concept uses a flat/organic form language with anthropometric proportions that stimulate curiosity to engage and excite consumers into electric driving. The surfaces are made from one-way Lexan glass and inside the driver sits centrally, with the two passengers close behind and to either side.

Adam Phillips' Communicate aims to work alongside other objects in cities instead of what he calls 'invading' the cityscape. The interior rises up from the street and the top shell reflects the environment around it.

James Brooks' Boite is a statement against the masculinity of current automotive design, featuring a pod that is suspended from an external structure so that it appears to float.

Murray Westwater's Cympod has been designed with markets like China and India in mind as an affordable form of urban transport.

Richard Bone's A Car For Sharing is a shared transport concept for urban mobility that features a four-person flexible seating arrangement.

Hitesh Panchal's Fashionista is an electric pod that is also a female accessory-- the design deliberately feminine to appeal to this market.

Dai Shang's City Core is a tiny upright electric pod that utilises smart city grids and is designed for dense metropolitan environment.

Juha Pekka Rautio's C-Crab has been inspired by various sports activities to visualise a more aerodynamic package.

David Eburah's Gallery hopes to make the electric car relevant to the modern urban environment by creating a boutique where users can pick and choose what they drive.

Ian Kettle's Egoiste -- as the name suggests -- uses extreme proportions to attract attention and thus promote electric driving.

Juliana Cho's Memory Piece is a daily commuter electric concept that has relaxing seats and is fun to drive so as to alter customer perception of electric driving.

Fernando Ocana's C-Flex is made from electro-active memory polymers so that it can change shape to adapt to different conditions and occupant needs.

Ido Baruchin's Cyto concept self-generates energy using wind turbines and features regenerative braking for improved efficiency.

Elizabeth Pinder's C-Voile is a single person electric concept that works a bit like a surfboard, the rider rolls and pitching the deck with his feet.

Quirky invention and an alternative approach to design are the long-held beliefs behind Citroen. Somewhat lost for a decade or so, the French manufacturer is now hard at work rediscovering its eccentric mojo.

Founded by Andre Citroen in 1919, the company's first real sign of leftfield ingenuity didn't surface until 1934 when Citroen and his team unveiled the start of many firsts during this richly experimental era of motoring. The Traction Avant was not only constructed with an all-steel-body, but it was also the first mass-produced front wheel drive car. As a result it was spacious and strong, a workhorse for taxi drivers or family men. Similarly, the 2CV of 1948 was a piece of functionalist art; the car reduced to its bare essentials.

It wasn't until the Paris Motor Show of 1955 that the automotive world witnessed Citroen's boldest and most unbridled approach to car design with the public unveiling of the groundbreaking DS. With Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni as chief stylist, the DS was a perplexing mix of futuristic contouring and outright bewilderment. It was a sensation. Ultimately, the DS became enshrined as a legend of modern design, receiving countless accolades during its two decade life and beyond, proof enough of its stylish allure.

So why the history lesson? Well Citroen are striving once again to enchant the design and motoring fraternity. Stage one was to revive the DS badge, applying to a line of highly styled versions of their stock production cars to a dealer near you. The first complete offering in the proposed four-car line is the distinctively styled and attention-grabbing DS3.

We recently had the pleasure of acquainting ourselves with this new direction after taking delivery of the range topping D-Sport model. Citroen have pitched the DS3 as an addition to the already bulging premium supermini sector, encountering the likes of the admirable MINI, Alfa Romeo's neat MiTo, the retro charm of the Fiat 500 and most recently Audi's A1. Here, competition is alive, well and threatening from all angles.

Externally, the D-Sport exudes an elegant yet aggressive personality. Its engaging outline is characterised by its cunningly designed floating roof, an illusion conjured in union with its equally impressive shark fin B-pillar. Head on, piercing curved strips of LED lights are housed within faux air intakes, asserting the model's slick and athletic demeanour.

Inside the DS3 is directly appointed as a driver-focused, sporty environment. The low slung, body-hugging seats offer up support in all the right places, even when you're just sitting in traffic, while all dashboard instrumentation is neatly oriented to the driver's eye line, making this a genuinely pleasing place to spend time.

Despite the DS3`s design gumption, the undisputed highlight is its tremendously willing 150hp engine. The BMW co-developed 1.6 THP 150 offers punchy performance across a wide enough rev range to provide a thrilling experience for even the most hardened of libertines. In spite of its abundantly rewarding nature, the power-plant manages both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions intelligently and efficiently.

Citroen claims to have driven from London to the Edinburgh fringe festival and two hundred miles back on a single tank of petrol, a claim not doubted but comedy alone by its sheer nature.

With comprehensive options ranging from 38 body/roof colour combinations, and numerous coloured cloth and leather finishes to drilled aluminium pedals and diamond-tipped alloy wheels, the potential for personal expression is vast and that's before we mention stereo, navigation and parking sensor options, among others. Citroen's vision for this particular model is evidently based around client customisation, freedom of choice, unique experience and a refined product for all.

Although this is an imaginative take on a conventional sector, it's unlikely the DS3 of 2010 will have anything like the same impact as the original made half a decade ago. However, what's clear is that by looking back, Citroen are once again surging forward. More DS models are waiting in the wings, beginning with the new DS4 and eventually culminating in what could be the true heir to the original, the DS6.

As a sign of this renewed commitment to design, Citroën's stylists spent the best part of 2008 creating a remarkable styling concept, the GTbyCitroën. The project was overseen by Takumi Yamamoto and originally intended to exist only virtually in the classic Gran Turismo video game. A virtual unveiling was well received and the company's prototype series set to work turning pixels into carbon fibre. The end result, first shown last year, is a long, white painted behemoth, festooned with spoilers and scoops. The dark, cave-like cabin is accessed via scissor doors, and the conceptual and experimental nature of the car is demonstrated by the simple toggle switch controls, race-car steering wheel and total absence of creature comforts.

Wallpaper* was lucky enough to sample the GTbyCitroën at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the concept was making its second public appearance in the UK, completing the swift series of sweeping curves that takes drivers through the Festival crowds up Goodwood's famous 'hill'. It wasn't all plain sailing. For a start, this car is very much a one-off, effectively a piece of automotive sculpture bolted to a powerful (and anonymous) V8 with minimal concessions to function. Citroën's genial engineer was on hand to explain the idiosyncratic gearbox (a combination of wheel-mounted button-shift and conventional clutch), zero power steering and lack of air-conditioning, all of which conspired to make the experience rather nerve-wracking.

The GTbyCitroën will never be a supercar, but the raucous exhaust and startling performance meant it didn't disgrace itself amongst the starry exotica lined up at the start of the straight. Save for an embarrassing blip at the first corner, when we got all fingers and thumbs with the complex gearbox, it delivered us to the top of the hill with minimum drama and maximum noise. Despite initial reports, the company has no plans to put the GT into production, even as a million-dollar limited edition. Instead, it serves as a reminder of the days when every car Citroen built was a piece of automotive sculpture, utterly distinct from the competition. Here's hoping the revived DS name will bring that spirit back.