Is Citroen Set To Make A Return To The US?

Citroen DS

The French car maker Citroen is in something of a state of flux at the moment. The PSA Peugeot Citroen Group that owns the company is reshuffling Citroen's model lineup. As part of that process, Citroen is making its DS luxury car brand an independent company.

For those of you familiar with Citroen's long and rich history, the last time Citroen sold a car in the United States was back in 1972. The company stopped selling cars here in the US because of strict auto regulations.

Another reason Citroen didn't do too well in the US is because the last model they sold here, the DS, was just too "European" for us. For example, we wanted to drive automatic cars with air conditioning and power windows. The Citroen DS of the 1970s had none of those features as standard.

These days, Citroen offer all those features and more in most of their current models. But the French automaker wants to push forward with their plans for world domination. According to the DS CEO, Yves Bonnefont, they want to sell the DS brand in 200 of the world's biggest cities.

North America seems like the obvious choice for Citroen. Many European car brands like Fiat, BMW and Jaguar already sell cars in this part of the world. The United States is often a tough nut to crack for European car makers.

It's no secret that our emissions and safety laws are getting tougher each year. Some firms find it easier to sell their cars in other parts of the world instead. But the US auto market is huge, and so the temptation to avoid selling here is too hard to ignore for some companies.

Is Citroen set to make a return to the United States?

The short answer is "maybe." But if you want the long answer, here is what you need to know.

DS – or rather Citroen – are remaining tight-lipped about their plans. But when they mention the "200 biggest cities" thing, one can assume that some of those cities will be in the United States.

Safety and emissions are something that Citroen are keen to focus on with their future models. And their European offerings have proven that to be the case thus far. If BMW's Mini can get adapted for the US market, there isn't much reason why Citroen cannot do the same thing.

But if Citroen does confirm that they plan to sell some of their cars in the United States, it's not likely that they will wear the Citroen badge. Given that the DS luxury brand is separating from Citroen, it's more likely we will see DS-branded cars out here.

Mr. Bonnefont has stated that six new cars will make up the newly-independent DS brand. To check them out, you will doubtless have to visit a European dealer first, such as Citroen at Carcogroup.

Do you have any insider knowledge about the DS models getting sold in the United States? Why not drop us a line and let us know!