Citroen Aircross Concept leaks out early

The French have not historically been at the forefront of the crossover market, but that's beginning to change. Renault recently launched the Captur and Kadjar crossovers, Peugeot has rolled out the 2008, 3008 and 4008, and while Citroën may be lagging behind the times on that front, even it is getting in on the action. Citroën introduced the Mitsubishi Outlander-based C-Crosser in 2007, replaced it with the C4 Aircross in 2012, and now it's poised to follow up with the new Aircross concept.

Set to debut mere days from now, the Aircross is a concept that is intended to show which way the Double Chevron marque is heading as it ramps up its crossover offerings. But before the veil is lifted, this first image has leaked out, courtesy of French magazine L'Automobile, giving us a clear idea of what to expect.

While the grille looks trademark Citroën, the rest of the design appears far more rugged than anything the Gallic automaker has produced to date. As pixelated as the leaked image is, we can see black plastic moldings on the bumpers, quarter panels and around the wheel arches, contrasting vents on the hood and frame around the rear side windows, and a large panoramic sunroof flanked by roof rails. Altogether it looks rather promising, breathing as much fresh air into the French marque as the quirky C4 Cactus has.