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Detroit, 10:32 AM
Thu Dec 3
30 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/10/09
11/10/09
Also, kudos for using a picture from one of my favorite architects even if it was in part due to a google image search.
[www.afgh.ch]
11/09/09
Could the French build it again? Maybe. But the Italians could certainly chip in - one need look no further than a 2003 Fiat Multipla to know that wackiness on the assembly line is still available.
Should the Japanese build it? Probably. But only for a few years, and then sell the tooling and line back to the French. If a Japanese company is allowed to keep at it, they will engineer all the quirks out, and then you'd just have another Camry. Have someone like Daihatsu do the work - they're associated with Toyota on one end, but they're associated with Briggs and Stratton too - nothing like some cheerfully peculiar relationships to keep a Citroen wunderwagen what it ought to be: brilliantly weird. #citroensm
11/09/09
Disclaimer: I wouldn't even contemplate owning an SM until my pockets and sanity had virtually limitless depth.
With that out of the way, I think this points to a wider issue: Citroens need to be cars from Planet Citroen again. Their current offerings are either terminally dull or weird in the wrong ways; their traditionally-thoughtful quirkiness and eclecticism is gone. Given how closely-intertwined Peugeot and Citroen DNA has been since 1974 this isn't much of a surprise, but the 'real' Citroens have been gradually replaced by what can only be described as logical successors to the godawful Citroen LNA / Peugeot 104, the first bastard offspring of that particular relationship.
Granted, I want to see them come back to North America - but not with the range they have now. It's just not competitive in this market because there's nothing to distinguish it from any one of a dozen other manufacturers except for the token designation of being French - and we all know the reputation of French automakers on this side of the pond.
Not to burst any bubbles, but if PSA is serious about a return to this part of the world, there are some things they need to do:
- Loosen the reins on Citroen's ability to produce models that aren't just rebodied Peugeots.
- Stop ignoring the vehicles in both companies' histories that made them great. If you've ever taken a tour of Citroen's facilities, you can almost hear the guides' embarrassment at having to deign to mention the 2CV, one of the greatest cars of all time.
- Position Citroen as an upmarket marque to Peugeot, with vehicles offering features not found elsewhere in that market niche or the PSA range.
- Bring in a reasonable range of vehicles for Peugeot to sell in North America. This means the 2-class up to the 6-class in addition to the 10-class. Citroen should stay out of the compact- and small-car segments. Sounds odd for a 2CV enthusiast to say, but let's be realistic about perceptions of a marque in this part of the world.
- Not treat their customers like crap when it comes to service time, and price their products realistically. Peugeots are French Oldsmobiles when it comes down to it; they should compete with VW, Volvo, and Saab, not BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Citroen may - note the conditional - be able to do that against certain of those manufacturers' products, but certainly not all of them.
- Have a flagship model. That's where the new SM comes in, and the market certainly has room for Buck Rogers' new 2+2 in the market. Done properly, this could be the right car at the right time. Hell, stick a Maserati V8 in it; they're making great drivetrains these days.
I really want to see Citroen return to being the marque of innovation, quirkiness, and sublime lateral thinking that it traditionally has been. There's so much potential there for greatness that it almost hurts to see it not being realised. A new SM would be the way to go to getting Citroen back on track - PSA just needs to let it be great again. #citroensm
11/09/09
Job description:
1)Take the suitcase
2)Pick up the wife
3)Get to 70mph
4)Play Mozart all day
5)Stay at 70mph
6)Slow down
7)Pull into Casino Square
8)Show off curves #citroensm
11/09/09
I was so close. #citroensm
11/09/09
11/09/09
/looks for stones #citroensm
11/09/09
Also, F1Morgan, no, there's no chance. Even if you did find a more pedestrian motor that will sit behind the SM's gearbox in a longitudinally mounted/ FWD drivetrain, you'll still have to deal with the hydraulics. #citroensm
11/09/09
But I think Citroen has found enough of it's former zaniness tempered with some actual business acumen to do it themselves. #citroensm
11/09/09
Not the Koreans nor the Chinese, for they seem to be following the Japanese timeline to the letter.
Not the Europeans, for features would be added until the driving experience would devolve into pushing a button and staring out the window.
Not the Americans, for it would grow larger and larger, until it grew a box on the back and 4wd.
The answer may just be the Indians, particularly Tata. A blend of Eastern and Western, tradition and modern vision, style and substance. They hold Jaguar, which has created gorgeous saloons and sportscars, well-balanced and well-powered. An addition of some Tata DNA would help to alleviate a big cat's faults.
Tata is at the point where it wants, no needs, a world-class vehicle of its own design to announce that it has arrived. The Nano is nice, but in a 'aww, that's cute' way. Buying an established company simply states that one is doing well enough to begin to acquire an empire.
A grand tourer of one's own design that leaves the luxury makes of the world scooping their collective jaws off the floor is a serious opening salvo. #citroensm
11/09/09
11/09/09
11/09/09
Then again, Nissan is half-owned by Renault. Coincidence? #citroensm
11/09/09
11/09/09
11/09/09
Few companies are in the position to take that kind of risk today, especially those with a stingy board of investors and a soft customer demand. #citroensm
11/09/09
Well done, Peter. Of the many things that I like about the SM, the thing I like best is that they rallied them. Sucessfully too. The idea of taking such a technically complex machine and beating the crap out of it on some North African rally stage makes my brain whir. #citroensm
11/09/09
11/09/09
Ah, yes, but it is French, so at the very least you'll have to stop and get a fresh pack of smokes every 90 minutes.