Project Y30

Under the project code-name Y30 the successor of the CX was developed starting from the early eighties. By september 1984 the main specifications (like length, height, width, engines, prices etc.) for the successor of the CX were defined. These specifications were derived from its successor, the CX, but also from cars from the competition. One of the main goals of the Y30 was to offer more interior space and quality than the CX, within the same exterior size.

Three different design studios were asked to make a proposal for the design of the new car. These design studios were the two PSA design centers Carrières-sous-Poissy and Vélizy and Bertone in Italy.

The design of Carrières-sous-Poissy was discarded, in november 1984 when the design crews of Vélizy and Bertone were asked to build a 1:1 scale model of their designs within the next 6 months. Those scale models were presented to the president of Citroën, Jacques Calvet, and the general director of PSA, Xavier Karcher in march 1985.

Although the design presented by Vélizy had all the features of a good looking Citroën top-model, it was considered to be too close to that of the CX.

Finally the Bertone design was chosen for the Y30 project. This design was originated by a pencil drawing made by the Bertone stylist Marc Deschamps on his lap in the plane between Paris and Turino in october 1984.

Bertone's two-box (engine-compartment, passenger-compartment, no real visable trunk compartment) design fitted well in the SM, CX and BX tradition.

The interior of the Y30 project car was also designed by Bertone (see the left picture below). The picture other picture shows another much more futuristic design for the dashboard by Harnaud.

The final design and the technical realisition of the Y30 project according to the Bertone design ideas was done by the stylists at Citroën (PSA) in Vélizy.

Source : Citroën Revue, Nr. 2, november 1994.