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Just done my 19th Geneva Motor Show, and this one was like no other car expo I've attended in Switzerland, or anywhere else. What made it so different? The fact that one company - Citroen - simultaneously launched a new entry-level city car for cash-strapped kids and a top-of-the-line, £30,000-plus executive cruiser. These models are not cynical concepts created by vain Paris-based designers to show how talented they are. They will be on sale in Britain in a matter of months.

By Mike Rutherford

08th March 2005

I've been to hundreds of motor shows and witnessed thousands of product launches - but I can't recall an occasion when a firm unveiled new, showroom-imminent, bottom-of-the-range and flagship models on the same day. It simply isn't done.

This achievement is all the more remarkable when you consider the two new cars will compete in markets in which the company currently doesn't even have a foothold. A few days ago, Citroen didn't do micro and high-end luxury models. Now it does - and as a result, it has one of, if not the widest, most logical and best-value ranges today.

As I said, the titchy C1 is very much bottom of the pile, priced from around ΂£6,000. Then there's the C2, from ΂£7,000, while the C3 comes in at ΂£8,000 and the Ber-lingo Multispace and C4 cost from around ΂£9,000 and ΂£10,000 respectively. So for every extra ΂£1,000 you spend, you can move up a model in the range. How's that for choice?

Meanwhile, in the ΂£10,000-΂£15,000 category there's the Pluriel convertible and Picasso mid-size MPV. Move up to ΂£16,000-΂£20,000 and you can choose between the C5 saloon or estate or the C8 large MPV. And now, with the addition of the C6, those with an extra ΂£10,000 burning a whole in their pocket will be able to buy a slice of French luxury wrapped up in a design worthy of a special exhibition in the Louvre.
But don't rule out even more models being added to the line-up. Citroen has never made a 4x4, but due to a tie-up between its parent company PSA and off-road expert Mitsubishi, one is expected soon. And as with the current range of cars, it'll probably be one of the most exciting-looking SUVs on sale, yet affordable at the same time.

Right now, the C1 and C6 are receiving all the attention. The latter will offer BMW and Mercedes-rivalling comfort and refinement, plus more attractive looks, for less cash. OK, I won't be paying ΂£30,000 for a new C6, but in three years it will be one hell of a used buy for ΂£10,000-΂£15,000. And it will still look more modern than some new cars.

The C1 is a different story. I'd happily have one as a city runabout, and can't wait to experience its 'less is more' qualities. Bare metal on the inside of the doors, simple minimalist VW Beetle-style dials, a bargain basement price and the promise of 70mpg economy seem too good to be true. But the C1 will soon be in showrooms. As a second family motor or a first car, I don't think, at this early stage, it can be beaten.

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