Having sold over 180,000 DS line models worldwide, Citroen is keen to continue this success, revealing its latest addition to the line-up in time for the Geneva Motor Show.
And while the DS4 may not be the obvious choice to house the world's most powerful production 1.6-litre engine (making it the most powerful Citroen so far), that hasn't stopped the French firm. Thanks to the expertise of its seven-time WRC-winning Citroen Racing division, the DS4 Racing has been born.
It uses the familiar 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine seen elsewhere in the maker's models, but tweaked to produce over 160hp per litre and emit only 155g/km. On full boost this unit makes 260hp, promising startling performance and a 0-100km/h time of less than six seconds.
The front wheel-drive chassis hasn't escaped the attentions of Citroen Racing's engineers either, and the DS4 is now 35mm lower than before. A wider track, by 55mm at the front and 75mm at the rear, houses 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 235/40 profile rubber. Hiding behind the two-tone spokes are 380mm discs, clamped by four-piston calipers - ensuring it can stop as quickly as it can accelerate.
For Geneva, the concept is finished in a special matt grey paint with a contrasting roof, a la DS3 models. Carbon fibre is also heavily featured, with the expensive but lightweight material applied to the wheelarch extensions, front splitter, air diffuser and double-chevron grille. Deep side skirts, bumpers, twin exhausts and vertical LED running lights complete the racer-for-the-road look.
Currently billed as a concept, the Citroen's track record with the DS3 Racing suggests that the DS4 Racing will make it to our shores as a limited production model sometime later this year.