Posts tagged DS
Citroen DS4 Tries not to Conform
Aug 24th
Citroen have released a set of new videos to showcase the new DS4 crossover vehicle. It looks like a massive coupe but it has five doors and a high ride height. It has lots of headroom, like an MPV, but less bootspace than the C4 it is based on, and the spiky rear windows don’t open.
So we get why Citroen have decided to play the “non-conformist” card and brag about how their car breaks the mould. What mystifies me slightly more is their choice of videos to illustrate their point. Let’s have a look at them:
Urban Sport
What happens?
A man parkours down a flight of steps in a dingy warehouse with a DS4 at the bottom.
Non-conformist?
Five years ago, you might have accepted this, but free-running went mainstream a long while ago.
Urban Art
What happens?
A DS4 is parked in a dingy warehouse. A video installation of abstract, rapidly changing images is projected onto its side.
Non-conformist?
Definitely not. I think if I were an artist working in the medium of video, I would be quite upset by this. There is no originality to the set-up – in fact it is a hackneyed stereotypical installation.
Urban Fashion
What happens?
Some DS4s are in a dingy warehouse. A striking young lady walks past the cars and some floodlights in a succession of edgy outfits of various styles.
Non-conformist?
Well this is a fashion show. A standard fashion set-up. Once again Citroen are using a stereotypical interpretation of a creative discipline to illustrate how subversive and ‘different’ they are.
Urban Music
What happens?
A dingy warehouse. A man retrieves a drum from the boot of the DS4 (The only shot of the interior). More drummers join him in a demonstration of traditional rhythms and percussive noise. The man replaces his drum in the boot.
Non-conformist?
Well I will give you this, Citroen – it isn’t mainstream music. But it is traditional. It is non-conformist in the same way that Morris Dancing is. Is that what you are going for? Perhaps it is.
I find these videos rather disappointing, because they have ultimately taught me nothing about the car, and the message they are intended to convey is hopelessly lost in the lazy and unimaginative way they have been executed.
Geneva Fever
Mar 9th
Going on at the moment is the 79th annual Geneva Motor Show. Here are some of the cars that have stood out to me:
Aston Martin Lagonda concept
Aston have revived the Lagonda brand, one of the oldest names in luxury car manufacturing. The Lagonda concept is a striking four door luxury car that Aston hopes will increase their global appeal, helping the brand expand into over 100 global markets. Although the Lagonda looks remarkably like a 4×4, there is a sprinkle of Aston magic with familiar styling cues and a meaty V12 engine up front.
Spyker C8 Aileron
The Spyker C8 Aileron is the latest variant of the C8, Spyker have called it their second-generation of cars. The Dutch Supercar uses the same Audi V8 as before, laying down an impressive 400 hp and is now available with automatic transmission. As you can see below the car looks great and has a very unique interior. The Aileron has kept Spyker’s signature aviation design theme. As a representation of the second generation of cars, the propeller motif has been replaced with turbines as they were the second-generation of aircraft propulsion.
Citroën DS Inside concept
Now for something that is a bit more affordable, Citroën are also reviving a brand with the new DS Inside concept. The DS name was first used for the iconic stylish premium car in the mid-fifties. The DS model is part of a major rebranding for Citroën, that includes the changing of the corporate logo, the range of the cars, the website and even the showrooms. When the DS Inside is released later in the year, it will be called the DS3 and will be joined by the larger DS4 and DS5.
The new influx site has also covered many of these cars and more, including the green supercars like the Koenigsegg Quant and Frazer-Nash Namir (another brand revival!) as well as the Aston Martin One-77. The One-77 is definitely worth checking out, it has been described by Aston Martin as a ‘technical showcase’ and has 700 hp, carbonfibre chassis and a handcrafted aluminum body. It also has the small pricetag of 1.2 million pounds!