Citroen exec says autonomous driving and electrification will create design revolution

Pierre Leclercq became Citroen's design head last November, succeeding Alexandre Malval, who now works for Daimler. The Belgian-born Leclercq, 46, started his career at Ford's Ghia studio in Italy, then spent more than a dozen years at BMW Group. In 2013 he was named design director at Great Wall Motors in China, then moved to Kia Motors as design director in 2017. Leclercq spoke with Automotive News Europe correspondent Peter Sigal at the VivaTech technology show in Paris about his vision for Citroen.

Why did you choose to show the new 19_19 concept at VivaTech here in Paris instead of a traditional auto show?

Viva Tech seems to be right for this car. It's not only about design -- it's about a vision for the company. In the car industry, we're facing big decisions because of new technologies that might change the industry completely. We will create amazing services, solve problems for people, give you the possibility of using hours lost in traffic every day for something else. And we will still make exciting, emotional cars. I truly believe this.

How do the 19_19 and Citroen's other new concept, the Ami One, relate to Citroen designs of the past?

These two concepts were always conceived as a pair. They express values of Citroen that haven't changed. In the 1950s you had the 2 CV, which was something extremely economical, and had amazing industrial solutions that made it cheaper to build, and you could bring something to people that they really needed for a very low price. On the other hand, at the same time, you had the DS. It was a spaceship, it was a real UFO, at the summit of comfort. Citroen at the time had the ability to have the two bookends, the popular and the exclusive. The ability of Citroen to create something small for mobility -- you can see that in the Ami One. Then, in the 19_19, you have the "UFO" that's extremely comfortable, with superb aerodynamics -- that's something that also with the DS.

What do these concepts mean for future Citroen designs?

We create extreme concepts like these for many reasons, including to inspire us at Citroen, to inspire our designers, to inspire maybe even the car industry. And, of course, the people who view it. The 19_19's shape is soft and simple, but then we have some parts of it that are very much product design and not auto design, and that's something that we at Citroen will continue to look for.

You have emphasized mechanical components; the suspension, the drivetrain; there's a clear panel where passengers can see the road. Why is that?
It's much more interesting to me to show the details of technology. If you have to have radar on the roof -- don't try to hide them, or raise the roof, make the roof the way you want it, as dynamic as possible, and turn the radar into a beautiful detail.

You are relatively new to Citroen. How do you see the brand right now?

I'm happy to see a family of cars that is very coherent. My predecessor [Alexandre Malval] worked hard to make that happen. When you see a Citroen on the streets you recognize it right away. We also have a form language that's different than what Peugeot or Opel or DS is doing.

You've worked in Asia for several companies. Is there anything you can bring to Citroen from those experiences?

The international experience can only be positive. We think we understand China but actually, we don't. When I went from BMW to China, I thought I would start right away with the design process, but it took me six months to understand that it wasn't the way to work in China. Instead, we talked all the time about the culture of China and the culture of the company.  I can also understand big differences between China, Korea and Japan. There are much more differences between the Chinese and Japanese than between the French and the Italians, for example.

In the next few years, Citroen will be introducing a car in India that is designed for that market. What can you tell me about it?

It's a global car. but it wouldn't call it a car designed for India, although we've created it with Indian engineers and modelers. It's important to keep the car global -- Citroen has a strong identity and we need to keep it. Of course, if we have strong negative feedback from Indian customers we'll correct certain things, but it's important to make global cars.

Have we reached the saturation point for SUVs and crossovers?

I don't know if we've reached a peak but are there more discussions about going back to lower cars? I definitely hear it. But it doesn't mean that SUVs are over or not a big trend.  SUV sales continue to go up, maybe not as fast, and sedan sales are still going down.

Given what you just said about sedans, what can you say about Citroen's upcoming midsize car? Clearly it won't be a traditional "three box" shape.

It's something much more interesting. To be honest, it was almost ready when I arrived. It's a super car. That's all I can say.

How have autonomous driving and electrification changed the way you think about vehicle design?

There are two ways to think about autonomous driving. In the first, you have an ecosystem that doesn't really change. Basically, you are lifting your hands off the steering wheel. Maybe at the most extreme you go in the back and watch a movie. It's interesting but doesn't really change the design so much. Now if you think about something that was never meant to have a steering wheel -- a robot, that is -- then you could create something completely different. We're at a point where every company has to make decisions about the future. For me, that's super-exciting because there are so many possibilities to create a revolution in the car industry.