Citroën DS4 Racing Concept is One Sweet Turtle Shell [Geneva Auto Show]

French cars? We like to clutch to the clichéd ideal of elegantly curved sedans wafting along the highway, a picnic basket stuffed with a baguette and a bottle of wine aboard. Of course, the French also have built some pretty exciting small cars, too, and this new Citroën concept shows how the Gallic brands are rediscovering this proud heritage. The turtle-esque Citroën DS4 Racing is one of the cooler concepts scheduled for the upcoming Geneva auto show. It's the second "Racing"-badged creation after the DS3 Racing, which is the streetgoing version of the DS3 WRC car. The DS4 may seem to be an unlikely basis for a hot hatch, being simply a more luxurious take on the rather bland C4 compact. It's a five-door which tries to look like a three-door crossover, with hidden rear door handles and fixed rear side windows. It also is jacked up to sit higher than the C4. But the DS4 Racing brings the model back down to earth. Citroën has lowered the DS4 by 1.4 inches and widened both front and rear tracks. It is further distinguished from its lesser siblings by a 256-hp variation of its 1.6-liter, turbocharged four, which drives the front wheels. There are 19-inch rollers wearing 235/40 rubber, and a special gris mat (matte-gray) paint job with a "texture effect." A diffuser-look rear fascia, a lip spoiler, and a rear wing underscore its sporting pretensions. The interior is luxurious, in typical Citroën DS fashion. We hope the DS4 Racing is the precursor of a production model—it would perfectly back up Citroën's plans to enhance its sporting credentials. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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