Citroen mulls new naming structure for its lineup

Citroen is considering a new naming structure to help better distinguish its cars within parent PSA/Peugeot-Citroen’s lineup. Currently, the brand has a dual naming system, using the letter “C” followed by a number for its core models. The brand’s best-seller in Europe, for example, is the C3 subcompact, followed by the C4 compact at No. 2. Variants of core models add a name, such as the C3 Picasso and C4 Picasso minivans, C4 Cactus crossover and C4 Aircross SUV.

Citroen did not disclose details of how its naming policy might change. The French business paperLes Echos first reported that Citroen CEO Linda Jackson has initiated a study to examine a new naming structure for the brand.

“We are studying the possibility, but it is too early to give you more information,” a Citroen spokeswoman told Automotive News Europe.

A new naming structure could better reflect the brand’s different types of models and further distinguish the marque from PSA’s Peugeot and DS brands, said Ian Fletcher, an analyst for IHS Automotive.

PSA CEO Carlos Tavares plans to reduce the number of models sold by Peugeot and Citroen and to differentiate the brands more as part of his turnaround strategy for the automaker. Last year, he spun off the upscale DS line from Citroen and made DS a stand-alone brand.

IHS’s Fletcher expects Citroen to retain the Picasso and Cactus names.

“Picasso has strong customer recognition and the decision to launch the C4 Cactus could suggest that the brand might eventually move toward using these sorts of names,” he said. “Citroen may also choose to use these names alone in the future as the current C3 and C4 are rather anonymous for a brand that wants to emphasize a renewed focus on character and style.”

PSA’s Peugeot brand introduced a new car-naming system two years ago. The brand still uses numbers for its models, such as the 308 compact, but it ended the system under which it changed the final digit to denote different generations of the same vehicle. The brand also uses the final digit 1 for entry-level models such as the 301 aimed at emerging markets, while models targeted at mature markets end in the number 8.