Citroen is expected to show a crossover styling for its C3 Picasso successor at the Geneva auto show in March.
The French brand confirmed that it will debut two concepts at the show. One will be a "high volume model" and the other a van, a Citroen spokesman said.
Citroen has not disclosed details about the high volume car concept but reports say it will show elements of a crossover model to replace the C3 Picasso minivan. The new model may take the name C3 Aircross already used in some global markets to distance it from the current boxy minivan.
Turning the model into a high-riding crossover will help Citroen to benefit from the boom in SUV/crossover sales.
"We will launch a new model that will be a volume car this year that will be very much a replacement to the C3 Picasso," Citroen CEO Linda Jackson told Automotive News Europe.
Jackson declined to offer further details. Industry insiders expect Citroen to reveal the production car in the summer or at the Frankfurt auto show in September, followed by a market launch in the fourth quarter.
The car is likely to use styling features from the C4 Cactus and new C3 including Airbumps plastic protective side cladding.
The crossover will share its platform will the upcoming Opel/Vauxhall Crossland X crossover that replaces the Meriva minivan as part of an industrial agreement between Opel parent General Motors and Citroen parent PSA Group.
Brexit worries
Jackson said Citroen shares concerns about economic uncertainty in Europe this year following the UK's vote to quit the European Union and the rise in populism among voters ahead of the presidential elections in Germany and France.
It impossible to determine what effect, if any, Brexit and the elections will have on the car market in Europe, Linda Jackson said.
"While I am not wishing to say there will be a reduction in the market, who knows what will happen? But I think it's fair to say any instability potentially affects consumer confidence," Jackson said. "We hope we will have a successful year, but that depends on consumers and the confidence they have in spending."
