Hotter Citroen hatches unlikely

Citroen has had a storied history in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the modern era, but the French car-maker has no desire to leverage its motorsport know-how and develop an all-conquering hot hatch to take on the likes of the Ford Focus RS and Peugeot 308 GTi.

That's the word from Citroen's CEO, Linda Jackson, who told motoring.com.au that Citroen's return to the WRC in 2017 – after a year's hiatus to focus on its next rally car – does not signal a renewed interest in a high-performance hatch.

Jackson told motoring.com.au there were no plans for a next-generation hot hatch, but agreed its WRC involvement would yield "something".

"Firstly Citroen is about 'feel good' [cars], so looking for very high performance cars is not in our DNA. However, it's clear we have for next year the WRC and we want to find ways to animate that and be very close to the people," she said.

Citroen dominated the WRC between 2004 and 2012, pocketing nine consecutive constructor's championships thanks to Sebastien Loeb, but the company appears content to avoid developing a hard-core halo model to capitalise on its success.

"The reason we chose world rally is because it's close to the people," said Jackson. "But to create the youth, the modernity [in our cars], the energy around WRC is one of the things we want to do."

The most potent hot hatch Citroen offers today is the Citroen DS 3 Racing, which is now known as the DS 3 Performance (pictured) as part of a facelifted model range revealed in January.

Under consideration for Australian release, the DS 3 Performance is powered by an uprated 154kW/300Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine matches with a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox, torsen diff, big brakes, sports body kits and Alcantara-clad interior.

Even if it was green-lit for the Australian market, however, the DS 3 Performance is not exactly what you’d call 'hot' by today's ever-increasing standards.

Take, for example, sister company Peugeot's 308 GTi, which offers 200kW, or the all-wheel drive Focus RS (257kW) and Mercedes-AMG A 45 (280kW).

When asked if something like this would be possible in future, Jackson responded: "I can't answer the question directly, other than to say 'watch this space' and it's certainly something we're looking at."

Ultimately, it's highly unlikely Citroen will develop a highly-strung, motorsport-inspired hot hatch like some its rivals, Jackson concluded.

"There is a sense to develop cars around world rally, but never around high-performance cars. That's clearly not us."