TIMES-A-CHANGING
Major car brand plans to discontinue multiple models, hinting at new first-of-its-kind range
Its CEO also pledged to continue offering non-electric models for years to come
A MAJOR car brand is discontinuing multiple models while hinting at a fresh focus on a brand new, first-of-its-kind range.
The company is putting extra effort into its "main segments" in an attempt to boost profitability, promising "new shapes" for future motors.
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Citroen CEO Thierry Koskas has confirmed that the French brand will drop two cars from its lineup at the end of their lifecycles.
Speaking to , he said that there were no plans to replace the C1 once the current generation runs its course.
This was largely put down to the struggle to make a profit on the small hatchback in an already crowded market.
At the other end of the scale, one of the firm's largest offerings, the C5 X, will be phased out in the same way.
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Mr Koskas praised the model's sales performance but emphasised that its market segment is "non-existant".
Most cars are broken down into four segments, labelled A to D, based on size.
Small hatchbacks and superminis are usually classed in segment A, compared to the chunky SUVs in D.
The manufacturing boss effectively ruled out further development in those two segments, saying: "Citroën needs to be in the B- and C-segments as this is the heart of the brand.
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"If you go into the A-segment [with a C1 replacement] you would expect to pay less than the B-segment, but the production costs for us are the same.
"We will take risks... [and] we will do it in the B- and C-segments, which is the vast majority of the European market.
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"That’s where we need to be."
Going forward, Mr Koskas teased the possibility of Citroen moving away from traditional model classes like SUVs and introducing "new shapes that don't exist" yet.
And he suggested that most of the brand's sales will be electric by the end of the decade, with high demand for "electric objects" at the moment.
That being said, he added that the firm remains committed to making some internal combustion and hybrid options into the 2030s in order to "offer affordable mobility to all."
He went on: "We’re clear with what we are.
"Affordable cars, simple cars, comfortable cars.
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"We’re not technology Christmas trees."
It comes after Peugeot discontinued a whole line of its cars, with plans to replace them with EVs instead.
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