(first posted 2/14/2017) The Citroën DS may have been legendary but each flagship Citroën that has followed has enjoyed less and less success. First there was the CX, then the XM whose sales figures (330k) were only a third of its predecessor. Finally, there was the C6 whose total production was a woeful 20k. Was the Citroën magic gone or was it still there and people just didn’t care?
Australia may be a small, intensely competitive market but you know when a car is a flop when it musters only 104 sales over 7 model years. Given those paltry figures, I’m sure you can imagine how gobsmacked I was to see this one in traffic.
In the C6’s sophomore season, 7600 left Citroën’s Rennes production line in France. That number had sunk to only around 1000 units just two years later. The C6 wasn’t just a failure in global markets, it was a failure in its homeland.
Blame the Germans. While Citroën could still rely on government and fleet sales in France, private buyers in Europe had abandoned mainstream large cars in droves. By mainstream, of course, I mean non-luxury brands as there was certainly nothing mainstream about the C6. But the Citroën name lacked the cachet of BMW and the C6 was destined to meet the same fate as the Ford Scorpio, Opel/Vauxhall Omega, Peugeot 607, Renault Safrane, Mazda Xedos 9, Nissan Maxima QX, Hyundai XG… deep breath… Mitsubishi Sigma, Honda Legend and Toyota Camry. Consumers were more than happy to give up the size and even some of the luxury features of those vehicles in exchange for a smaller BMW 3- or 5-Series or Mercedes C- or E-Class or Audi A4 or A6. That the Germans were offering efficient turbodiesel powertrains was the icing on the cake.
So, if the Europeans weren’t to buy a C6, could one expect a consumer in another country? In Australia, the C6 was priced at just over $AUD100,000. That sounds like a lot to our US readers – and, well, it is – but it corresponded to a mid-range BMW 5-Series, such as a 530d.
The C6 initially launched here with a choice of 3.0 V6 petrol and 2.7 V6 twin-turbo diesel engines. The latter engine, developed by PSA, was shared with Peugeot and also Ford and Land Rover. Buyers much preferred the more expensive diesel, which quickly accounted for 90% of Aussie sales; the petrol mill was dropped after just 2 years. The 3.0 petrol had been pretty unexciting anyway, producing just 207 hp and 213 ft-lbs. The 2.7 HDi V6 produced a stump-pulling 324 ft-lbs and almost exactly the same horsepower, while achieving a combined 27 mpg. Now that’s a diesel! It managed to haul all 4200 lbs of Citroën to 60 mph in less than 9 seconds, almost a second quicker than the petrol. The 2.7 was later replaced with a 3.0 with similar torque but almost 50 extra horses.
But who cares about 0-60 times and horsepower when you’re driving a French luxobarge? That simply wasn’t the point. French luxury cars are supposed to cruise effortlessly and possess a soft, cushy, magic carpet ride, and the C6 didn’t disappoint. Citroën utilised their iconic Hydractive hydro-pneumatic suspension which was called “pillowy” by some reviewers and likened to “riding on a mattress”. The Sealy Posturepedic…. I mean, Hydractive system constantly read the road and making adjustments, resulting in a car that floated across bumps but didn’t lean in corners or nosedive when braking.
It wasn’t just the ride that was distinctively French. The styling was modern and yet clearly in the flagship Citroën tradition. It was most intriguing at the rear end, with horseshoe taillights and a concave rear window. Despite the fastback styling, the C6 was a sedan; the concave rear window was said to improve practicality. Maybe it did, but like a rear spoiler on a family sedan, this feature was clearly there to add style. Like it or loathe it, the C6 had style in spades.
The exterior was a tough act to follow and the interior inevitably disappointed. The clutter-free dashboard and pale, pale beige trim were clean and inspired but the switchgear was fiddly and much of it was lifted from cheaper Citroëns; in black, like the featured car, the interior was somewhat dour. The button overload on the dash looked similar to cheaper PSA models like the Peugeot 407 and the materials quality wasn’t on par with the Germans. It also looked rather dated by the end of the C6’s run.
While lesser four-cylinder powered and manual transmission-equipped C6s were available in France for taxi duty, Australian market models came in a single specification level best described as “The Works”. This included things like a 10-speaker sound system with speed-sensitive volume control, head-up display, 5 (!) heated seats, automatic and directional xenon headlights with washers, rain-sensing wipers… The list goes on. One of the few options was the Lounge Pack, which offered “TGV-style” rear seating for two with reclining seatbacks like on a TGV train. This option was an extra $4000 in Australia but if you were already paying over $100k for a Citroën, why not splash the extra cash?
Also remarkable was the C6’s safety. It came with the full gamut of safety features like 9 airbags and ABS with EBD and EBA and a bunch of other fancy acronyms. In layman’s terms, it was actually the world’s safest car. This appellation was given because it was the first car to be awarded the maximum occupant and pedestrian protection ratings by European NCAP. If you had to be hit by a car, the C6 was a good option thanks to its active hood which popped up a bit upon impact to separate your screaming, traumatized self from the hard, hard engine components below. Nice to know!
But all of those gadgets and safety features weren’t enough to woo executives and the C6 proved to be a failure, the lack of a wagon variant (as there had been for the DS, CX and XM) further hampering sales. The C6 had arrived 6 years late and left probably 6 years early, as Citroën’s new standalone DS marque has yet to release a proper flagship. Oh, sure, Citroën of China will sell you a “C6” but it’s now a humdrum large sedan. The “real” C6 was a genuine Citroën flagship, the likes of which we shall never see again, at least not with a Citroën badge or hydro-pneumatic suspension. Quel dommage!
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1999-2010 Peugeot 607 – Le Bateau Magnifique
CC Capsule: 1991 Citroën CX Evasion – Last Chance Wagoon
CC Driving Review: 1970 Citroen ID19 Familiale – Yes, You Can Meet Your Heroes.
Nice writeup. I came across one of these recently and was struck by how distinctive and attractive it was. Definitely a valid evolution of the DS-onward Citroen shape, but by this time hardly as otherworldly. Love that taillight treatment.
At least from the rear three-quarter, it bears some passing resemblance to an older Audi A6, although Audi wouldn’t go for the recessed backlight.
When I first saw the leading picture (without glancing at the title), I thought it was some version of an Audi.
Aside from the distinctive backlight and tail light treatments, the design leaves me underwhelmed — triple that thought for the interior. Seems that for all of its advanced operating systems, the C6 might have bored Citroen’s traditional base (not to mention stretching their wallets), while being too specialized to attract new clientele.
I’d still love to drive one though!
Agreed – looks a lot to me like a C5 Audi A6 from an alternate universe.
I see late model big-body Jaguar with the taillamps from the rear 3/4 angle…all it needs is a blacked-out c-pillar.
We do see them here, but they are certainly rare.
A rare breath of fresh air.
Love it! Thanks for the piece. A C6 lived nearby for a few years and it was always a delight to see. Nothing on the road looked like it on the approach with the widely spaced lights and following it was intriguing as it floated along perfectly level while alongside other cars pitched and rolled.
The changes in importer, a dealer network close to nothing and an absence from the market segment for a few years prior probably didn’t help its chances. The final nail in the coffin was staggering a rate of depreciation. I agree the interior looks best in the lighter colours.
The 107 local owners drove them because they really wanted to. I’m glad they did.
Honest question: Does Australia ever have need of heated seats? (Even to the extent that one “needs” heated seats, that is.) I realize the climate there isn’t ALWAYS trying to barbecue you prior to your inevitable consumption by the colorful local fauna, but does it get that cold in winter?
Also, is that an Alfa in the background of the last shot?
I personally can’t stand heated seats, makes me feel like I wet myself. But we do have some very cold regions, including areas where snow comes seasonally.
Yes. GT Coupe.
It needs to be red Don, it just has to be red…
The Alfa Romeo GT was based on the 156/147-platform, styling by Bertone and built between 2003 and 2010.
Nice C6 catch William. An elderly man nearby owns one, dark blue metallic (like in the article), which seems to be a popular -all relative- C6 color choice.
è vero, Johannes
Re your comment, Ate Up With Motor, FYI, just spend winter time in the Victorian Gold Country in and around Ballarat–it can be quite chilly with occasional snow, and additionally spend time in the Snowy Mountains visiting Cooma, Mount Kosciusko, and Thredbo during the winter and you will value heated seats. Australia has more varied environments than most think, especially Americans. Oz has very surprisingly varied, and lovely terrain with associated varied microclimates. BTW skiing between the eucalyptus trees/ gum trees in the snowy mountains is a unique, delightful treat, an experience replicated no where else, and recommended as a possible once in a lifetime memorable experience. Oz is a country of many delightful surprises for the tourist willing to venture away from the usual tourist destinations of Melbourne and Sydney.
California can have similar ranges of climates coupling access to the seashore, dessert, and with a possible several hour drive to winter time skiing in the mountains. Cheers.
They also have wickedly large scary Hunter spiders that carry off mice. No thanks!
Yeah, also Blue Ringed Octopus, Crocs,, Box Jellyfish, etc. Don’t be a wuz.
Don’t forget the drop bears
This is what I mean by being devoured by colorful local fauna. (It was the stories of children wearing buckets on their heads so as not to have their skulls perforated by angry swooping magpies that did it for me.)
And don’t forget, The Little River Band ! Glenn Shorrock, Beeb Birtles, George McCartle, Graham Goble, and that dude that played drums. Their music still sounds great.
I wasn’t questioning that Australian buyers would want heaters in their cars for the winter. On the other hand, while I’m a thin-blooded Californian who grabs the heating pad when nighttime temperatures drop below about 12°C, I would feel a bit silly with heated seats. (Admittedly, I don’t have leather upholstery, which might change my mind.)
It snows in lots of Australia even in summer I got snowed off work on Dec 28th in Orange NSW one year but there is no need for heated seats at all.
No questions, you Kiwis are hardy, hardier than Californians. Aaron ( aka Ate Up With Motor) with his thin-blood would appear to appreciate a warm backside during a blizzard at 0, -10, or colder. So heated seats for him, not Kiwis. HaHa.
I’m never been quiet about my love for Citroens. And the C6 is one of those cars I know I’ll never have a chance to own, but will always want to dream.
Regarding the success of the German three over this: It only goes to show that Mencken was not only an optimist, but he had a basic understanding of the first world population, not just Americans.
In all of western Europe they were -also- sold with the 4 cil. units, but that didn’t help either.
I blame it’s failure on it’s looks. The prototype was rather stunning. The car that made it to the showroom was compromised. Especially the headlight-treatment was awkward. The height of the roof suffered too. It just wasn’t a very good looking car anymore …
Resale value was always a problem with non-German or non-Swedish cars in the EU, which also dramatically affected lease prices. Today, you can score one of these for bargain prices. But good luck to the new owner! They tend to come with many technical problems …
From prototype (1999) to end result (2006) …
From the front, I can see what you mean…
… but from the rear, I definitely prefer the production version.
All in all, I think they did a pretty good job on the street C6.
To me, this angle clearly shows a more muscular stance. A bit bare though, I agree. The production version is way more slab sided and angular; therein lies the compromise.
For me, those taillights are key. The Lignage rear lacks a focal point whereas the street version has some of the best rear lights in automotive history. Which gives me an idea for a QOTD…
The prototype definitely looks better in profile, but the rear aspect seems unfinished, like a styling model whose detailing hasn’t been decided yet.
I look at this posterior and I think it needs circular taillights. The horse shoe is certainly different and distinctive but to my eyes it is not pleasing.
This one had no “break version” (wagon), therefore it was not a big success.
A break would have looked very nice btw.
Mais oui!
This looks continuous with the DS break and CX break in large part due to the skirted rear wheels and the chrome across the roof edge. And here the horseshoe tail lights look integrated rather than set on top.
Now *that* is a sharp wagon, er, break. The skirted wheels would probably never fly in the current market but it’s a very clear lineage to its CX forbear.
Oh my that’s gorgeous.
Big fan of the C6 myself (here in Edinburgh we have a handful gliding around the wider streets, in regulation black of course) and always thought the decision not to do an estate was sad. Now, looking at that sketch, I think it was heartbreaking.
Love this. PSA Group (Peugeot/Citroën/Opel) missed a trick not developing a C6 Safari or estate. This C6 Break Normandie concept is epic. Thank you for sharing.
Always liked this car but am struck by how much front overhang there is. I never noticed that when looking at these cars in person.
I think it’s because of the ‘square jaw’ frontal styling. Most cars hide the overhang by tapering the bodywork in front of the front wheels; the C6 seems to flaunt it.
Top model Citroën = long front overhang + short rear overhang.
All of them, DS – CX – XM – C6. See XM below, for example.
The DS did have a long overhang, but it was rounded in the plan view.
Yes and if its too low for an approach angle they lift at the press of a button at least my C5 does, hydractive is amazing to drive the literally is nothing like it the car chooses the ride height and stiffness to suit the terrain and speed its being driven at plus the roadholding is equally amazing I assume theres a traction limit around tight corners but Ive never found it including on wet roads the car just goes where you point it no fuss whatsoever its relaxing to drive at any speed whether its a twisty gravel road or a motorway,
Wow
I have never really been a fan of French cars, except for the 80’s Puegot STX Turbo (I know spelling is off). Mainly because I loved the emblem of the lion, as well as the way the headlights are shaped.
However, the car above is pretty interesting and very luxurious from the interior pics. The rear tail lights are very interesting, as well as the front. For some odd reason all these elements work for the car. The car resembles a 2007 Nissan Altima with modifications. Very nice.
The car does have major presence in traffic. Like it’s something special!
The biggest let-gown in the C6 has to be the interior. A big Citroen must feels like you’re in a Dunlopillo padded-cell with a single-spoke steering wheel and an array of knobs and levers placed in incongruous places. Not a trace of the quirky details and far-out ideas of its illustrious predecessors. And the seats are hard. Very, very hard.
The exterior is OK — it certainly has a lot of presence when you see it in the metal — but (like the XM) short of fantastic. Citroen (and Peugeot, Renault, and the other non-BMW/Jag/M-B contenders, need to try three times as hard to make their bigger cars noteworthy and appealing. This wasn’t trying hard enough.
I’ve always been somewhat puzzled by the failure of these cars in the market, as (at least to me) the exterior design is simply stunning. Yes, it does share a general shape and impression with the C4/C5 Audi A6, but the details of the C6 are all its own and what set it apart. The rear view is fantastic with the unique taillights and concave backlight.
The interior does seem something of a letdown compared with a “traditional” quirky Citroen, but I fear we’ve seen the last of that long ago.
Just another member of the long list of cars that weren’t sold here, and that I wouldn’t go to the trouble and expense to import never having driven one. But that, if I saw one for sale here that someone else had imported…I might be foolish enough to consider owning.
I really like the styling of these things and those tail lights are wickedly cool! The interior looks ok in the lighter colours as in the 4th pic. But seriously, 100k for these things? Wow, that’s too expensive, no wonder they failed. Priced themselves out of the market.
Remember that’s 100,000 Oz quid, in Oz land. They were 35 grand here in the UK, if that seems less scary.
The Aus. dollar is worth about the same as the Cdn. dollar, so yeah, would have been about 100k here if they’d been sold in Canada.
Aye the currency might be of similar value at the moment, but that doesn’t mean the C6 would have cost the same in Canada.
A bit of googling suggests that the list price of (random car sold in both countries) a 2016 BMW 320i was $39,990 in Canada, and $61,900 in Australia.
I don’t care about sales figures or brand cachet. I don’t know what TGV means. All I know is that I love this car. Of course, I believe every Citroen is beautiful, and that in some cases the beauty is simply harder to discern. Except the Ami-6…that thing was just straight-up fugly.
TGV is the high speed train of SNCF railway network in France. Very fast and very cool.
My late father’s best friend from the high school went through numerous Citroën saloons since 1960s. He traded them every two years after the lease expired. I had many chances to ride in DS, CX, and XM with different engine options. When the lease for his XM was expiring, Citroën was supposed to have C6 ready but didn’t. The sales centre offered the lame Xsara as a stop-gap measure.
One look at Xsara, and he walked away to the nearest Audi sales centre and leased Audi A6. Real ironic that he had picked A6 instead of waiting a few more years for C6.
I see everything BUT Citroën in this car. Call me crazy, but when I think of that marque I think DS. That backlight reminds me of a 1974 Plymouth Valiant, and the side profile, vaguely, of a first-year Rover 3000.
Why buy a car that is trying to look like something other than what it is?
Ozzers are probably the closest to USA car buyers in the entire car-buying world. I don’t blame them for heading for the Blue Mountains rather than Citroën showrooms. That car belonged on Ayers Rock – with no way to get down from it. I don’t ever recall seeing one here, Stateside, either.
Just my 2¢ worth, for all it matters.
+1 on the concave rear window, but it actually began with the 1967 Dodge Dart, then gravitated to the Valiant in the seventies until the A-body was finally laid to rest in 1976. I would imagine the reason it hasn’t shown up since then is aerodynamics and poor space utilization. But it’s still a rather cool styling device.
understandable I guess if your go-to Citroen is the DS (though there are similarities imo…) here in Yurp though the very strong echoes of CX, SX and even GS plant the C6 squarely in Citroen visual territory.
You personally might not get the references, but it certainly isn’t trying to look like anything other than a Citroen.
The subsequent C5 on the other hand explicitly *was* trying to look like something else… and (sadly) it sold much better for it:
If they hadnt deleted the hatchback I’d buy one but the did so I’ll keep my older model at 400,000kms its barely broken in.
I went to Paris last year, and I saw one of these in the streets. It’s a very awkward looking car in person, too low at the front, too high in the back. I like the profile, but not everyone will. It’s a marmite car, and not everyone is going to like a marmite car, especially at the price it was saddled with. (I don’t know the exact MSRP, so if someone can provide it for me, I would appreciate it)
Plus, I’m not sure if Citroen has the best reputation for reliability in the EU. Certainly, that mechanical complexity and lack of ease of service is what killed it here stateside, so I don’t know if that’s the same in Europe. But if it is, it would certainly be another factor, especially compared to the reputation for reliability the Germans have in Europe (A prospect that seems laughable to us, I am aware. But apparently, the Germans are lauded for reliability in Europe)
Although, apparently, the C6 has gotten a second generation. It’s more conventional looking than it’s predecessor, but time will remain if the second time around will be better than the first.
That “new” C6 is just a Citroënification of the famous Dongfeng Fengshen A9. Not available in Europe.
The “old” C6 from William’s article was Citroën’s executive car / E-segment model. The only brands that offer such a model these days in Europe are Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Jaguar, Volvo, Lexus, Tesla, Cadillac and Infiniti.
Citroën’s current Euro-top model is the C5 (with optional Hydractive III+ hydropneumatic suspension), which will get an all-new successor soon.
Or the DS5, a car which (together with the C5) in some way would have taken sales away from the not _that_ much bigger (but not better fitted) C6.
Beautiful cars, quite rare in NZ and even more expensive than OZ thanx to the local peso being such rubbish theres a black C6 in Mana Wellington Ive seen it several times including a close look when I found it parked,
ok 9+ minutes and it shares time with a fisker (that hasn’t burned yet, ha, ha) but here is a link to a c6 road test. in the states btw.
saw one of these in europe summer of ’14 and i was just struck by the exterior design. i knew right away what it was, no question, as it backed out of an embassy in paris. dark blue with light interior an absolutely gorgeous car. there should be an emoji for drooling.
It normally takes me a long time to warm up to Citroen styling, and this is no exception but I’m really struggling with these. I feel like I like the front end, or I like the profile but not necessarily as a whole and I think I truly hate the entire rear end. I’m not one for abstract art though.
Weird for the sake of being so, without many redeeming qualities to these eyes. If esoteric luxury is the brief, I’ll take a Lancia Thesis, thank you very much.
I wish that we could get the cool cars like that stateside. I would drive one. Let’s not forget Billy Thorpe
Every even-numbered year there’s a vehicle lighting and driver vision symposium near Paris. In addition to the lectures and show-‘n’-tell booths, there are nighttime ride-alongs in demonstration cars brought by automakers and suppliers to a road race track or proving ground. Groups of attendees climb in the cars and ride around the track taking note of how and how well its lighting and driver-assistance systems are working. I first attended in 2006. My jetlag was so severe that I was hallucinating all day long. Then came the nighttime ride-alongs.
One of the demo cars was a new C6. After the ride-along, for some strange reason the driver got out of his seat and said “You try it”. This was nonstandard; nobody else got to drive. I…but…um…sure! You’re handing me the keys to a brand-new V€RY €XP€NSIV€ car in a country a long way away from where any of my insurance is valid, and I’ve been seeing jesters and dragons and giant talking carburetors all day, AND I got about 2 hours of sleep last night if we paste together all the little 3- and 7-minute bits of sleep, AND I’ve been on my feet since 6 this morning and it’s now 11:30 at night; what could possibly go wrong?
Nothing went wrong. I drove very carefully, so I got no sense of the car’s real prowess. But it was a grand car, all full of “Yeah, I’m weird, y’gotta problem with that? Y’wanna make somethin’ of it?” and it instantly got on my If-I-had-limitless-money list. The C6 is unusual in all kinds of ways, big and small. An example of small: the early-production ones, at least, had rear sidemarker lights. They were camouflaged in the sides of the taillamps, which had an all-red appearance, but the sidemarkers lit up in amber (the Euro regs on sidemarker color are kind of schizoid, and most European cars don’t have sidemarkers of any color).
I’m not particularly fond of French cars, but I love every big Citroën.
I totally agree on the interior. For me what really does it in is the discrepancy between the expectations offered by the exterior and the dull interior. But that exterior though…
I (my wife) had one for 4 years. She has a current model c250 estate. given the C6 was a 2007 model it really was better in every way than the merc. Other women would come up to my wife and ask about the car. Not even my Jenson interceptor would attract that much attention. (nore my 911). The car really was a fantastic daily driver. The only problem and why we moved on was the parts availability. Everything 4 weeks ex France. Having said that I would have one again in a heartbeat.
I remember when they came out – at the time, they seemed very striking but the price in Austria was something like €40K… Very few sold and very few survive. You can find them at anything between €6K to €20K but should those French electronics have a fit, heaven help you.
… plus, you can get a newer and almost as luxurious C5/DS5 at less than €20K so that it makes no sense unless you really, REALLY want a C6.
Gorgeous, gorgeous exterior on these, especially in darker colours. I did a CC on them just over two years ago too: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/future-classic-2007-citroen-c6-une-limousine-francais-excentrique/ Bizarrely I’ve seen them more frequently of late, as there seem to be a few coming in as ex-JDM used imports.
I own one of the first RHD C6s. It is sublime to drive but the dashboard is an ergonomic disaster.
I love mine – very reliable, and no problems.
You’re a fool , you fail to understand what a real luxury car actually is they are hard to get horrendously expensive and give an amazing ride and a C6 fits that description perfectly its not a run of the mill high end pretender like a Lincoln or Cadillac or BMW chasing volume and based on the cheapest parts available these were built for a purpose.
Someone in NZ is trying to sell a 4 cylinder manual C6 its your actual unicorn one of a handfull with the 2.2 twin turbo 4 cylinder diesel manual in RHD, yes its the only one in the country theres only half a dozen on the planet Bugatti Royale numbers.
How many readers of this unique car website must KiwiBryce put off with his know-it all snide comments?
I doubt you’d ban his comments because he’s been the same since website started years ago.
What a wanker.
We all learned to ignore him years ago. As long as he doesn’t violate our commenting policy, although he may have here, in calling the author a “fool”. That’s not ok.
FWIW, I haven’t read a single one of his comments in quite a few years.