Citroen DS Inside Concept

Citroen unveiled the DS Inside Concept at Geneva, a 'premium' supermini that has nothing to do with the iconic DS of old, but handily evokes memories of the maker's glorious past anyway.

What's all the fuss about?

The reason we keep putting 'premium' in quotes because, as hard as it tries, Citroen has never been known as a maker of premium cars in the proper, German sense of the word. Quirkily styled cars of dubious reliability, yes, but bombproof executive cars? No. Still, the 'DS' range is set to change that, and this is the first. It stands for Different Spirit - and if it does turn out to match premium cars for quality, that's certainly a fitting acronym.

Any new technology?

Possibly, but we're not sure yet because Citroen hasn't really said much about the car itself. It sure is pretty, though, and continues Citroen's current propensity towards designing cars with chunky and appealing aesthetics (like the C3 Picasso - also on its Geneva stand). What we do know is that it's the smallest car in a family of three DSs, with a bigger hatch and a saloon to follow. All are penned by British designer Mark Lloyd.

Will it ever see the light of day?

It will indeed, but how similar the finished product will be to this is unclear. However, there isn't a great deal on the show car (if anything, in fact) that looks too outrageous for production. This one will be called the DS3 and will appear in 2010, while the DS4 and DS5 will follow some time before 2012 - as well as three other brand new models from Citroen. The DS Inside also displays Citroen's brand new double chevron badge, which to our eyes looks a bit like two noses, but there you go.

Mark Nichol