Citroen sprung one of the few real surprises of Geneva's opening press day when it revealed the Survolt sports car. An unashamedly out-there coupe with no confirmed production aspirations - or engine for that matter - the Survolt is designed to appeal particularly to women. Oh how French!

"We wanted to make the sporty car but with the more sensual touch to it," Citroen head of project design Bertrand Dantec told Drive. "That's why we have the pink colour scheme."

Dantec is only new to Citroen, having transferred across the aisle from fellow PSA brand Peugeot, where he designed the RCZ show car and several other concepts.

However, he said the design brief for the Survolt was "a dream": "We have no constraints so we have more creativity."

But all that creativity appears to have resulted in a miniaturised version of the W16 Bugatti Veyron supercar. It's a visual alignment that Dantec says is accidental but not offensive.

"You are not the first to notice the similarity," he said. "It's a good comparison but it's not intentional."

"We have an idea, we want the car to fit like a tailored suit and after when we see the car we say 'oh Bugatti'. That's not the intention.

"It is not intended to have supercar performance, but the sensation or feeling of a fast car. For us it's not a supercar, it's a feeling of well-being."

Citroen revealed very little about the Survolt apart from its compact measurements - 3.85 m long, 1.87 m wide and 1.20 m high. A four-page press release shed little more except for hyperbole.

For instance, the Survolt is described as having electric power but there is no explanation of the drivetrain. In reality, as confirmed by Dantec, the only way the car currently moves is by being pushed.

The Survolt is also meant to be a styling relation of the Revolte concept first shown at the Frankfurt show last year. However, apart from the grille, headlights, tail-lights, the extravagant cut through the door sheetmetal and some carbon-fibre trimmings there is little similarity.

But Dantec says that's the point of Citroen, a company which he insists has now reclaimed its styling mojo after decades of decline.

"Citroen dares, we dare to innovate again. All Citroens are different; each Citroen is an innovation in design for us. This project is different to this one; it's not like Audi with everything similar."

Dantec's claim was backed up by the other fresh displays on the Citroen stand, the DS3 Racing and the DS High Rider. The Racing is the hot hatch version of the new DS3 luxury mini that will be the basis for WRC star Sebastian Loeb's next racer. Just 1000 will be built with Australian numbers yet to be confirmed.

The High Rider is the DS version of the next generation Citroen C4 and is expected to trade in the concept's three doors for five. The cross-over stance is expected to be retained. Look for it in 2011.