GM-PSA Alliance Bears Fruit: Opel To Build Citroen C5 Successor

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

With a new Citroen C5 due in 2016, production of the mid-size Citroen will shift from PSA’s Rennes plant to an undisclosed Opel facility. A French car, built by Germans – eat your heart out, Clemens.

The move comes as part of the General Motors-PSA alliance, which sees cars like the C5 and Opel Insignia sharing a GM derived platform, while PSA contributes small car knowledge for the next Citroen C3 and Opel Corsa.

Union officials in France have long maintained that Rennes will be closed, and point to a dwindling workforce – cut in half from just three years ago – as evidence that PSA plans to shutter the plant. But the head of the factory recently told a local newspaper that a 40 million euro investment was planned for the site, which also builds the Citroen C5 and Peugeot 508.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Asdf Asdf on May 11, 2012

    I wonder whether an Opel-built D segment Citroën will retain the latter's hydropneumatic suspension.

  • Fabriced28 Fabriced28 on May 11, 2012

    The DS line from Citroën is one plan to reverse it. It appeals to the young and wealthy, to car guys that despise German conformity, and it works. At Renault, the electric line is the plan. At Peugeot, nothing special and it will hurt them. Industrially, both groups are leaving the country, slowly but surely. But they would love to keep the "domestic appeal" alive nevertheless...

  • Spike_in_Brisbane Spike_in_Brisbane on May 11, 2012

    Common GM derived platform? How is that a C5. I have one and the Hydractive suspension was its number one draw. Without that unique ride it is just another French car. What is the world coming to? What's next? Front engined, V6 Porsche 911s? Four cylinder Vipers? Recipricating engined RX7s? (oh yeah, I saw that one coming)

  • Ranwhenparked Ranwhenparked on May 11, 2012

    Sharing platforms and production facilities is one thing, as long as they leave the actual styling responsibility in the hands of Citroen's own design team. The current C5 is one of the best looking midsize sedans on sale today, Citroen basically just got their design mojo back, it would be a shame to to have it morph into a generic Opel/Vauxhall/Buick with a double chevron grille.

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