BIG SOFTY(some text hidden)

Unmistakably German: that, believe it or not, was the advertising strap line devised for the big promotional push of the 2008 Citroen C5. In the TV ad a blonde businessman drives the car through a German landscape backed by a Wagner soundtrack. Boris pauses only to eat some Bratwurst in a bier keller before parking up at Berlin's Brandenburg gate. The Citroen C5, a heavily accented voiceover tells us, is “unmistakably German - made in France”. The intention was to underline the supposed Germanic quality of the C5, positioning it as an alternative to the increasingly popular saloons from BMW and Audi. The effect was to undermine a century of Citroen heritage, diverting attention from the reasons that people might actually buy a C5. The car is big, comfortable, well equipped and not German. It's also distinctly affordable on the used market.