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Hot pink butting up to gloss blue; matte gray nestling closely with orange and chrome detailing. Add a riot of layered surface interplays as well as extreme, mini-supercar proportions, and extended exposure to the Citroën Survolt concept sounds like a recipe for a migraine, or a page out of Tommy Hilfiger's Spring/Summer catalogue. So why the double-whammy of complex form and the bold use of color and textile?
"We designed it like a fashion designer," explains Citroën Style's Chief Designer, Bertrand Dantec. "When Chanel sketches an outfit, they have different materials, different textures: it's a collection of items, not just one garment."
To extend the tailoring metaphor, the Survolt's matte gray 'shirt' is layered with a gloss blue 'jacket', the hot pink highlights the motoring equivalent of a Paul Smith suit lining. The impression is of draped fabrics rather than a solid mass, accessorised with orange wing mirrors and a chrome broach for a grille. The swooping, looping, extrovert result is in sharp contrast to the ostensibly production-ready DS High Rider concept which nestled elegantly in a quiet corner of the show stand. Can Citroën brand sustain such seemingly disparate designs?
"The difference between Citroën and other manufacturers is that every Citroën is different," says Dantec. "We're not defined by a grille or a design language. We have no rules - we don't have a book to say how to design a Citroën. The rule is creativity. And show cars express our creativity to the maximum."
It certainly makes a compelling case for itself, especially in light of 'small, medium and large' model ranges such as Audi's. And while the overall result may be a little extreme - cartoon-like even - Citroën has created a very human, emotional electric car. When every other manufacturer wears its technical heart on its sleeve in the design of its often pious electric EVs, the Survolt is a breath of fresh air. Expect more muted tones and a thicker overcoat for Citroën's Autumn/Winter collection.
One of the more significant debuts in Geneva, the CT200h is the production version of the car previewed by the LF-Ch in Frankfurt last year. A new entrant to the premium C-segment, its design clearly references both the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3. The positioning of the front axle betrays its front-drive platform, while the overall proportion of the body clearly references the 1 Series in its cab proportions.
The exterior form sits heavily over its wheels, with most designers we spoke to feeling the design lacked the fine detailing and surface resolution that will be expected in the segment. The DRG clearly references the rest of the Lexus range, but features a much weaker treatment than the Frankfurt concept car - with less pronounced details and fussy surfacing around the lower-bumper's outer corners - losing the subtly powerful aggression of the LF-Ch's face.
Moving down the car, the lower rocker cover surface fails to relate to the surface bleeding off the bumper ahead of the front wheelarch, and contributes to an excessive sense of weight in the flanks of the car. It is easy to draw comparisons with the 1 Series again, a shoulder-line beginning above the front wheelarch, but whereas in the BMW this is sharply defined and fades out just ahead of the rear lamp cluster, on the CT200h it fades clumsily above the rear door handle and fails to relate with the bone lines above and below it. The rear screen wrap-around and C-pillar treatment are reminiscent of the Toyota iQ overall.
The interior is more successful, the upper IP segment with infotainment screen and HVAC controls sitting proud of a high center tunnel, which contains Lexus's computer mouse-like controller for navigating the infotainment system and a Prius-like hybrid drive controller. The overall impression of quality and detail design still falls some way short of the standards being set by the likes of Audi however.
Overall, the CT200h feels like a missed opportunity, lacking the levels of surface resolution and perceived quality that buyers in this segment have come to expect.
Competing head to head with premium, upper medium sedans such as the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, the new production S60, which sits in the Volvo range between the S40 and S80 sedans, was previewed by the S60 concept shown at the NAIAS last year. As that concept was developed during Steve Mattin's tenure as Volvo's Design Director, it seems safe to assume that this design can also be attributed to him.
The most striking aspect of the S60 is the wave-like side feature crease that gently, arcs up and down and up and down in a way similar to that of the Audi A5. This line delineates a near flat lower flank surface and a near flat shoulder surface also: the antithesis of the strongly rounded shoulder resurrected from the classic 60s and 70s Volvo designs and used on previous generation vehicles. And it is the car's most contentious feature. Most designers we spoke to were uncomfortable with it, although it does seem to convey a level of modernity and distinction that the design would otherwise lack.
Similarly, the car's short rear overhang, dynamic DLO and near fastback profile lend the car a distinctive and contemporary quality. The front aspect, we feel, is the car's weakest aspect, with lamps that wrap around the corners instead of being recessed in from the front plane as on other Volvos - as if the brand is moving from carnivore to herbivore and in the process losing a distinctive part of its design identity.
The interior is less innovative than the exterior with much the same theme as other recent Volvos - a comfortable and handsome environment, but no more.
With Peter Horbury back at the helm as Volvo's Design Director we would expect the surface language that the S60 introduces to be a cul-de-sac. But the S60's proportions and form will make this a distinctive proposition in the market.
Related Article:
Design Development: Volvo S60 concept 
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