Only 3 days after I reported that Citroen were going to revive the DS nameplate, Citroen have released these first pictures of a DS model. In fact, it is only a concept, called "DS Inside" which will be on show at Geneva Motor Show next month, but it seems suspiciously close to production, and the official line is that the production version of this model will be released only next year. So I can't imagine that they will make drastic changes at this late stage.I had said that the three DS models would be equivalents of the C3, C4 and C5, however this vehicle we have here appears to be C2 sized, which is a little confusing. Or perhaps the pictures are just decieving, and this really is a C3 sized car.

But can I say something I've been dying to say since the start of this article? WOW!!!! I love it already. Finally, I'm looking at a design for a 21st century car that has the attention to detail I want to expect from today's carmakers. I would happily pay quite a price premium over a C3 just to have a car that looks as good as this. The attention to detail is what I believe makes this car look more expensive than its competitors. Does the Mini Cooper look this good? Does a Volvo C30 look this good? Even the Alfa Romeo MiTo doesn't look quite this good. That's quite an achievement.

Although having said that, Citroen won't tell us what the interior looks like yet - it's been blacked out in these pictures, and ironically, even thought it is called the "DS Inside" Concept, it is still unknown whether the car's interior will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show. Time will tell whether it truly deserves to be a DS car - the interior of this car is crucially important, and Citroen will have to set a new benchmark in innovative design for their plan to work. While it's unrealistic to expect new and unseen technologies to debut in this car (it's not a Merc, after all), I think we should expect something rather special nonetheless. What we do now know from these pictures is that the DS models will retain Citroen's regular design language - it's just been pumped up to a new level.

In my opinion, the exterior of what will end up being the DS3 has definitely delivered. Of the many standout delicacies of this car, those bold alloy wheels hit the spot with me the most. It's reflective of the design talent at Citroen that they can create a design theme in their cars that can make their cars sexier than Alfa Romeos. That deserves applause.

NEWS: Citroen DS Inside Concept For Geneva 2009