Citroen XM Forum

Has anyone ever noticed some of the styling cues that mark the XM out as a "Retro" Citroen.

It has the obvious kick up in the rear door, reminiscent of the SM, but has anyone noticed the door top line?

Every-time I see this line it makes me think of the roofline of a DS, as it rolls over from the door, rises slightly in an arch then tapers to nothing at the trail edge.

It's hard to describe, but once you know it's there, you can't miss seeing it.



I watched a film called "The Whistleblower" last night. At one point the main character was waiting in a car in the dark. There was only a few seconds of this scene and all it showed was her through the window, but as the camera panned it showed the window breaks and this roofline. I knew it was an XM she was sitting in.

I never noticed that!

I think there was a CCC car club magazine article about possible design cues a year or 2 ago.

Richrard (casalingua) did a piece on this. There were a lot of SM styling cues.

I´m pleased to note my small contribution to the understanding of the XM´s design cues did not go unnoticed. The XM is littered with subtle cues. That´s the difference between Bertone´s concept and the eventual design. Bertone didn´t have the trapezoidal rear panel graphic in their models. And I think they didn´t have the distinctive subtle SM-like shutline around the nose cone or the crease on the bonnet. If the car had not been Citroenised in this way it would have been too purely Italian. I don´t know who added these touches but I don´t think it was Art Blakeslee. His interviews give no hint of a man interested in connecting Citroen´s past to its future.