Grapevine

WHEN XAVIER CHARDON left Citroën for the Volkswagen Group in 2011 after 17 years, he didn’t expect to return.

- MARK TISSHAW

A Frenchman from the Alpine region, Chardon felt it was job done at Citroën, having helped reshape the logo and modernise the brand, so he lived out a “midlife crisis at 40” by heading to Wolfsburg.

Having gone on to hold major global roles such as leading VW’s joint venture with MG owner SAIC in China, he’s back to reshape Citroën all over again.

Chardon believes Citroën has “lost a bit of direction” in recent years and there has been “a bit of confusion” over the brand’s positioning and a lack of consistency in its product lineup.

An ageing model range has also contributed to a loss of market share and the brand has had a “couple of issues on the quality side” in relation to the Takata airbag recall and problems with older Puretech engines.