Radical new Citroen C4 Picasso successor will be boxy, practical and futuristic
Citroen is going back to what it does best: new MPV will be boxy, practical and family-friendly
The iconic and hugely popular Citroen C4 Picasso is set to be reinvented as a spacious, design-led MPV based on the ELO concept, marking the start of a new era of practical family cars for the brand.
Citroen’s CEO, Xavier Chardon, told us that he and his team are “working on the future of the MPV”, and that the ELO concept, which debuted at the Brussels Motor Show this year, is “a good inspiration” for what’s to come. Our exclusive image shows how the new model could look.
Changes will be necessary to productionise the innovative, future-gazing MPV – including a more mainstream five or seven-seat layout. The concept featured a McLaren F1-style central driving position, with an offset seat on either side. This will be swapped for a traditional dashboard arrangement.
Citroen has been experimenting with colours, materials and textures in its recent models, so expect some bright flashes and innovative design flourishes for the production car. But the ELO’s slim infotainment system that runs the entire width of the cabin – not dissimilar to the BMW iX3’s Panoramic Vision iDrive display – will probably make way for a conventional central screen, possibly with a head-up display to complement the digital instrument cluster.
“I don’t believe every customer is looking at more and more technology,” Chardon told us. “That’s why in current and future Citroens you won’t see multiple screens everywhere. This is not our territory.”
Behind the ELO’s funky front row was a rear bench seat that folded flat for added versatility. Depending on the car’s length, Citroen could look to add a pair of folding chairs in the boot. As before, the maker may choose to offer differing body lengths, with a longer wheelbase for the Grand seven-seat version.
Pierre LeClercq, who has been the head of design at Citroen since 2018, told us previously that “interior design, ergonomics and functionality are so, so important”. He said: “The customer has to be in the centre of all this. If we do a feature that is unusable, let’s not do it. We’re doing what we do really well.”
The future Picasso successor will double down on this idea of usefulness, with LeClercq insisting that design flair cannot come at the expense of functionality.
“Where do you put your phone? How do you read your information?” he asked. “Whether you’re a tall person or a short person, you have to make sure you use every square centimetre perfectly.”
Our image stays true to Chardon’s comments about the ELO being an inspiration for Citroen’s vision for family cars of the future. The edges have been smoothed off the boxy concept, while the front end has been extended as a nod to Chardon’s commitment to multi-fuel models, leaving space for petrol and hybrid powertrains, plus a zero-emission electric version with a battery mounted beneath the floor.
Slim daytime running lights sit separate from the main headlight units, which flank an oversized Citroen badge in the middle. There is a large open area beneath the number plate, which should allow for enough cooling and enable an otherwise flush front end even on ICE versions.
The ELO’s enormous glasshouse remains intact, with door mirrors set back behind the split A-pillars designed to improve urban visibility. We’ve opted for conventionally opening rear doors; the original Picasso – and the C4 SpaceTourer that followed it – never featured sliding side doors, despite rivals from Ford, Volkswagen and SEAT all utilising this functionality in the past.
Other nods to the ELO include the hexagonal-patterned wheel covers, sill protectors and wheelarch embellishments. The darkened trim above the rear doors also references the concept; the ELO had windows that extended right to the roof, but such a feature would be prohibitively expensive given the car’s projected starting price of around £30,000.
This price point would position the future MPV as a more family-focused alternative to the C5 Aircross, possibly handing it the SpaceTourer moniker; ‘Picasso’ was dropped in 2018 at the end of the licensing agreement and presumably deemed too expensive to renew. Given the expansion of the Aircross line-up, if the new MPV is a success, there’s nothing to stop Citroen building a range of SpaceTourer models – both bigger and smaller – that could cover all corners of the market.
As mentioned, Citroen will continue to favour a multi-fuel strategy and offer its customers a variety of powertrains. Any future ELO-inspired MPV is therefore likely to be offered with a range of hybrid and electric engine options; expect an evolution of Citroen’s current line-up, plus PHEVs and EVs with greater zero-emission range and faster charging.
Citroen has so far refused to comment on when the reinvented MPV might come to market, but last week announced plans for three new models before the end of the decade. We know one of these will be the fruits of the reinvented 2CV E-Car project, while the remaining two – both set to be based on Stellantis’s Smart Car platform – could include this mooted C4 SpaceTourer.
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