Citroën takes a drive back to its roots with its new C4 Cactus

This week, Citroën is putting the first examples of its new C4 Cactus on the road. The car represents a steep change in recent Citroën model philosophy and could present something of a return to the brand’s roots.

Back in the 1950s Citroën was primarily known for producing two main vehicles: the simple, utilitarian 2CV and the so-space-age-it-may-as-well-be-rocket-powered DS. That line-up appears to be the inspiration for what Citroën is trying to achieve at the moment. The plan put forward by PSA Peugeot Citroën is for Peugeot to create mainstream, faintly premium cars that meet the likes of Ford and VW head-on, while Citroën will effectively be split in two.

The DS model range will become a full-blown brand in its own right, following early successes in the Chinese market. It will concentrate on providing customers with high-tech options and, hopefully, sharp driving dynamics.

For the main Citroën brand, the future is rather more interesting. Buyers these days are starting to shy away from overtly sporting or “dynamic” vehicles, looking instead for practicality and simplicity. That at least is what Citroën hopes as it has designed the C4 Cactus to fulfil that brief.

The cabin is surprisingly bare but spacious. The car itself is quite large but very light to keep its running costs under control and while it’s priced above Dacia levels (Citroën doesn’t ever see itself going that far downmarket) it will still be cheaper than most of its compact crossover competition. And that’s before we get around to talking about the bubble-wrap style “Airbump” door protectors.

Significantly, though, Citroën claims it’s not a niche model but a car with broad appeal. That seems to be confusing industry analysts, who are variously predicting sales of between 50,000 and 100,000 sales per year for the car.

Will it work? Can a simple, quirky car very much in the mould of the original 2CV bring profits back to Citroën? Only time will tell. But if it’s a success and if there is capacity at Citroën’s Madrid factory, expect those quirky Airbumps to show up on the next-generation C3, a car which should bring Citroën’s strategy more clearly into focus.