Citroen is attempting to position the second car in its premium DS line-up, the DS4, as a sporty coupe alternative that doesn’t sacrifice practicality in the way that a three-door model can.
Coming in as a premium version of the lower medium C4, the DS4 joins the successful DS3 model launched in 2010, but this time with a more significant company car mission. The French firm is anticipating 60-70% of DS4 volume to be fleet users, but says they will all be ‘true fleet’ rather than any rental or other short-cycle units.
“The DS4 is distinctive with a different feel, and a big portion will be company cars,” a Citroen spokesman told BusinessCar. “The DS4 allows you to represent the company in a professional manner and take clients but have personal fun at weekends. We’re giving customers what they told us they want – a coupe with more practicality and flexibility associated with it.”
The firm describes the DS4 as a “hybrid” of bodystyles. “It’s not designed to be a conventional family hatchback, the C4 does that,” said the spokesman. “This is focused on lifestyle and user-choosers who wants something a little different.
“We wanted to take the five-door practicality and add the coupe proposition. In this sector people like coupes but not everyone wants to live with the coupe proposition.”
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