Citroen will continue to compete in the FIA World Rally Championship until at least the end of the 2015 season, according to team boss Yves Matton.
The French manufacturer is the most successful team currently competing in the series, having won eight manufacturers’ world championship titles and won 93 WRC events.
But the launch of its new-for-2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) team – with multiple world rally champion Sebastien Loeb heading the driver line up – has led to speculation that Citroen’s WRC programme could be brought to an end.
Matton dismissed these rumours when he spoke to WRC.com yesterday. He said: “We have a plan and a contract for three years, that’s 2013, 2014 and 2015. There is nothing that can stop this for the moment. There is no reason why we would not be here in 2015.”
Indeed, Matton revealed that Citroen’s plans for the 2015 WRC season are already well underway: “We said that after the launch of our WTCC programme that we would work on the 2015 WR car and that process how now started. We can’t say what subjects on the car we will develop but we have already started to think about it and we have a long list.”
Matton also confirmed that minimal performance upgrades will be introduced on the current Citroen DS3 WRC that is being driven by Kris Meeke and Mads Ostberg this season.
“We have one upgrade for the asphalt rallies but no improvements for gravel,” he said. “All of our associates are involved in the development of the 2015 car.”