Citroen DS5: It's like nothing else

Citroen says the diesel-electric DS5 marks the start of a new era in car design and technology. Photo / Supplied

Citroen is using ground-breaking technology that allows parts of still pictures to move to promote its new diesel-electric DS5.

And the background music for the campaign is a song by American shock-rocker Marilyn Manson.

The DS5, a full-sized five-door with a hybrid powertrain driving all four wheels, will go on sale in New Zealand around the middle of next year.

Citroen describes the advertising programme - unused by vehicle manufacturers to date - as "cutting edge".

British communications director Marc Raven said: "The new DS5 is an attention-grabbing model and we wanted to convey that in an engaging and innovative way.

"The cinemagraph format provides the perfect opportunity to showcase the car in a new medium.

"This is creative technology at its best, breaking new ground in how cars can be presented. It's a fun exploration of the format for now, but in time this could be how all new vehicles are experienced online."

The still pictures of the DS5 contain elements that move and are dubbed "cinemagraphs".

Made popular by New York-based Jamie Beck and motion graphics artist Kevin Burg, the cinemagraphs use the animated "gif" file format to combine the composition of still photography with the movement of film.

At first glance the image appears as still-life. Then the movement reveals itself, injecting a whisper of dynamism into each shot.

The Citroen DS5 cinemagraphs were created by a British team of photographer James Lipman and design agency TIZA Creative.

The promotion features the 2009 Marilyn Manson song Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag being played by a full orchestra with the catchline "Change Era" to emphasise that the Citroen DS5 is like no other car and marks the start of a new era in car design and technology.

The higher-riding DS5 is said to be the quirkiest of a revamped DS range, so far represented in New Zealand by the DS3.

The body shape is somewhere between a station wagon and a hatchback. The car itself is 4.52 metres long, roughly 20cm shorter than the Ford Mondeo.

Chrome strips stretch from the headlights to the windscreen, while a defined shoulder line and muscular arches complete the sporty look. The rear has a pair of large chrome exhausts and stylish wraparound tail lights.

The funky design continues inside, with futuristic dials, pilot-style toggle switches and a full-colour head-up display, and a panoramic glass roof.

The powertrain is a HYbrid4 diesel-electric unit that's set to debut in the Peugeot 3008 - the model on which the DS5 is based - and power Peugeot's new 508 RXH.

A 121kW 2-litre HDi engine drives the front wheels, while a 28kW electric motor turns the rears. The 149kW output should give the DS5 a zero to 100km/h sprint time of under nine seconds. Citroen claims a CO2 exhaust emissions rating for the car of 99 grams per kilometre.

The cinemagraphs are at: www.citroen.co.uk/ds5-cinemagraphs