PARIS -- Citroen is returning to the midsize segment after an absence of two years with the CX 5, a car that the brand says combines the best attributes of a sedan, a station wagon and an SUV.
The C5 X, the brand’s new flagship model, will be shown to the public next week at the Shanghai auto show in China, where it will be built in a Stellantis-Dongfeng joint venture plant in Chengdu and exported to Europe.
It will go on sale in Europe in the second half of this year. Citroen has not released prices.
The C5 X rides on the same EMP2 architecture as the Peugeot 508 L, a China-only version of the midsize fastback with an extended wheelbase to give more room for rear-seat passengers.
Like the 508 and another sibling model, the DS 9 (also assembled in China), the C5 X will be offered with an optional plug-in hybrid powertrain, as well as gasoline and diesel models for Europe.
The C5 X’s styling cues include an extended, sloping rear roof line with two small spoilers, similar to that of the recently launched Citroen C4 compact, which also has some crossover appeal. SUV-like elements include black plastic wheel arch trim and bumpers that hint at skid plates. Tall and narrow tires ride on 19-inch wheels to provide an elevated driving position.
“It’s aimed at people who are used to a higher driving position and ease of entry and exit but don’t want SUV styling,” Citroen CEO Vincent Cobee said. “It has the space and functionality of a station wagon.”
Cobee said the C5 X would appeal to buyers of midsize sedans and station wagons, as well as compact SUVs.
Other automakers have used a similar hybrid silhouette in the past, including Lexus, with the IS300 SportCross, and Fiat, with the Croma, both in the 2000s.
Citroen last competed in the segment with the C5, in sedan and station wagon versions, which was dropped from its lineup in 2019. Since then the flagship has been the compact C5 Aircross SUV.
The traditional “three box” midsize sedan segment has been under pressure from SUVs, a fact that Cobee acknowledged, but he said that it still remained vital in China, a market that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has made a priority this year. “The midsize sedan segment is three times bigger in China than in Europe,” he said.
The midsize segment was led in Europe last year by the Volkswagen Passat, with 115,763 sales, according to JATO Dynamics. The Passat was followed by a VW Group sibling, the Skoda Superb, with 60,254 sales; the Peugeot 508, at 28,741; and the Ford Mondeo, at 21,453. Total segment sales were 297,863, a 29 percent decline.
The majority of C5 X buyers in Europe are expected to be fleet customers, in line with the rest of the segment.
Features on the C5 X include a 12-inch horizontally oriented central touchscreen, a new infotainment interface, and the latest version of Citroen’s active suspension, which uses progressive damping at the top and bottom of the suspension travel. On plug-in hybrid versions of the C5 X, there are three suspension settings.
Citroen has not released full technical details, but said the plug-in hybrid version will have a total of 225 hp, with more than 50 km (31 miles) of pure electric range.
April 12, 2021 at 03:14PM
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Citroen returns to midsize segment with category-blurring C5 X - Automotive News Europe
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