TTAC Salutes The Citroen C6 – RIP
Today is a sad day for TTAC’s French car fans – the last Citroen C6 rolled off the assembly line, ending a proud tradition of French luxury cars that fought a losing battle with the Germans for segment supremacy.
Despite outlasting the dull Peugeot 607 and the quirky Renault Vel Satis, the C6 sold a mere 922 units last year and only 530 year-to-date. According to France’s La Tribune, The BMW 5-Series has outsold the C6 by a nearly 10:1 ratio in its home country, proving that even in France, these cars are a tough sell.
The next big Citroen will be based on the absolutely gorgeous DS concept car – but it won’t be all French. Instead, the new DS will be designed with the all-important Chinese market in mind. It will likely use some kind of hybrid system, akin to the DS5 Hybrid. Rather than being a ponderous, floaty sedan with a serene ride, ample power and bizarrely charming aesthetics, the DS appears to visually ape cars like the Porsche Panamera. Hopefully Citroen won’t try and pull a Cadillac and try and chase German driving dynamics either.
More by Derek Kreindler
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"Citroen Announces End of C6 Production, Nobody Cares."
I'll miss single purpose cars when they're gone for good. These cars are not focus-grouped to death and have great appeal to an extremely small subset of the market (e.g. Panthers, W-bodies with the 3.8L Buick or 3.6L LFX engine, Volvo RWD 'brick' wagons, LT1-powered B-bodies, etc.) but, to their respective fan base, represent all that is right with the world. Its too bad that everything now must meet 'class competitive' benchmarks in every single area. Continued 'class competitiveness' from car manufacturers results in more Camrys. I don't want to buy a car forced to meet Harrison Bergeron-esque targets.
I admire the insane courage of people pronouncing with absolute certainty on things about which they know 10% of 3/8ths of the square root of fuck all. Design is subjective, and is immaterial once you are at either at the wheel or a passenger. All that matters is how the car does the job that is required of it. In this, the C6 wins hands down. It is one of the marvels of modern automotive engineering. The C6 was made at Chirac's insistence, for reasons of Gallic prestige, and I expect that (rather like Aston Martins in the David Brown days) Citroen lost money on every one they made. That doesn't stop them, as with Astons, from being exquisite things. I am thrilled to own one. It is a delight to drive, and its technological intricacies are a daily revelation. The ill-informed comments of knuckle-draggers and mouth-breathers, who quite possibly have never seen one, are immaterial to me and to those who are privileged to have driven (and, better, to own) one of these rare beasts.
I'm on my second C6, the first having been written off, though no fault of my own, and I love my C6, this is a car that turns heads where ever it goes, it isn't BOGOFF Merc,Beemer or Audi. It has something that none of those cars have, it has character...... That is something you don't get driving most cars these day's, I have driven most types of car though my motoring life, and if you want to slate the C6, fine, go ahead, it's up to you...... It just means that the people out there, like get to enjoy them even more, whilst those ill informed 'rattle round' in their Skoda's with a Audi badge. Oh, and for the record, mine's Blue but it does have Cream leather, and I'll quite happily sit in my 'ivory tower' all day long, because it's comfy and a nice place to be.........