Citroën launches Facebook app to crowdsource new C1 design

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Posted 04 April 2012 10:42am by David Moth with 2 comments

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Citroën has launched a Facebook app that it says will create the UK's first ever crowdsourced production vehicle.

Facebook users will be able to choose the design for a special edition of the company's new C1 city car, called the C1 Connexion.

The app allows users to provide input on six elements of the design - the number of doors; the exterior and interior colours; equipment such as Bluetooth or satnav; and alloy wheels.

Users can decided if they want to use a personalised version of the app, which requires access to more of their data, or a 'non personalised experience' which only requires access to the user's basic information.

Each car submitted counts as a vote, and the combination of colours and features that are most popular will be incorporated into the final design.

To entice people to take part Citroën is offering everyone who enters the chance to win one of the special edition models, which will go on sale later this year.

In order to enter the competition users have to first 'like' the app, meaning the new model will be promoted to their friends as it is pushed out via Facebook's newsfeed.   

Facebook UK commercial director Stephen Haines said the social network helped Citroën build the app which integrates "the interactions and the stories people have with the brand into the products they create."

Facebook shouldn't just be bolted on to an existing campaign, it should be an integral part of the brand's full marketing and strategic plan. With this app, Citroën is demonstrating that effective campaigns take in social from the very start."

We reported last month that Facebook is offering free consultation to US automotive companies and the collaboration with Citroën appears to be an extension of that programme.

As for whether the special edition will be a success, the C1 is already one of Citroën's most popular models with 80,000 sold in the UK since its 2005 launch.

Citroën says the new model will be "a car created for the Facebook generation, by the Facebook generation," but it appears to be more of a marketing ploy than a genuine attempt to create a car that will sell in huge numbers.

After all, would you prefer to choose your own colour scheme for your new C1 - or go with a predetermined Facebook design?

David Moth is a Reporter at Econsultancy. You can follow him on Twitter.