Stellantis To Discontinue C5 X and Relegate Citroën As It’s Budget Brand

Citroën CEO Thierry Koskas said in a recent interview with Autocar that the brand will move away from the midsize segment, focusing on subcompact and compact models instead. The announced direction is yet another indication that Citroën is perceived with little cache within Stellantis to be marketed as a prestige brand that introduced technical and design innovation with such models as the DS, SM CX, XM, and G6.

He hinted at the demise of the Citroën C5 X flagship after the current generation.

The C5 X debuted in 2021 combining elements from wagons and crossovers in a midsize body, spacious interior and a comfort-focused suspension. While the C5 X “is not performing badly” in terms of sales, according to Koskas, its segment is “non-existent”. He said that Citroën “needs to be in the main segments, not niche segments”, describing the subcompact and compact models as “the heart of the brand.”

Koskas revealed a direction where Citroën will not have a wide range in the future, adding that he would be happy with five or six “well positioned” models, really appealing to customers”. Instead, Citroën will be relegated to subcompact and compact market segments with the challenge to fill the gap between the Ami and the e-C3 with another EV. However, Koskas believes there is a “big gap for electric objects” between the Ami and the new e-C3, but Citroën has no plans of filling it at the moment. If you go into the A-segment you would expect to pay less than the B-segment, but the production costs for us are the same.” The inability to make a profitable city car is why Citroën discontinued the C1 in 2022, leaving the bigger C3 and the smaller Ami to fill those segments.

Koskas wants to retain the quirkiness of the brand, introducing “new shapes that do not exist”, and “take risks” in a quest to “shake the market”.

It would appear that Citroën will be the designated brand in Stellantis to battle the budget brand Chinese EVs flooding the market and the low end offerings from traditional manufacturers trying to compete in the same market space. That could well put Citroën in a precarious position resulting in the demise of the brand. Given how it has been treated for years in Groupe PSA and now within Stellantis, that could be blessing.