2014 Citroen DS Divine Concept Falls To Earth With A Bump

REMEMBER THOSE Christmas cards you made when young, sketched out in crayon, then, with a flourish of a glue stick, is dipped in saucer of glitter, shards of silver sticking wherever tack has prevailed. The DS Divine doesn’t stray too far from this approach, rather falling into the gee-gaw category. The shoulder-line and the rocker are edged in chrome, and crystalline surfaces abound in the interior. Why? Because otherwise you might notice it's a boggo five-door hatchback with an Audi front and Brera back. Citroen –nay, DS –say they are creating a brand for long term ascension. That means diversity that can later be traded upon when the bodystyle is ‘re-found’ and claimed to be a classic. 

Motor shows also mark the time to go fishing for twelve-year olds, who, in their awe of a bejeweled interior, promise themselves a DS when they are earning. In a conservative industry that jolts from quarter-to-quarter, such patience is surely a virtue. It is a concept that Porsche accidentally stumbled upon with the 911 (they planned to can it several times), and now car makers are keenly making sure that what you buy as an adult is a clear evolution of what you hankered after as a child. Thus every car has the potential to be an endeared oldtimer.  And every oldtimer will look the same as its descendants, or at least look the same as an Audi.