Spend five minutes on a British B-road and you’ll understand why suspension technicians never go out of business here. Potholes—craters, really—dot the tarmac like a lunar surface, and drivers have learned to brace for impact as instinctively as they check their mirrors. But Citroën has apparently reached its breaking point.
Rather than simply touting its plush “Advanced Comfort” suspension as a solution to Britain’s busted roads, the French automaker did something unusual: it paid to fix the potholes itself.
A Week of Repairs—On Citroën’s Tab
After filing a Freedom of Information request with 424 local councils across the UK, Citroën discovered what most motorists already suspected: the country’s infrastructure is in deep trouble. How deep? According to the data, 1 in every 20 roads requires immediate repair, and some councils face wait times of years before they’ll make a dent in their backlog.
Shropshire Council estimated it would need three years just to catch up. Pembrokeshire and Clackmannanshire said a full year. And the absolute pothole heavyweights?
- Dumfries and Galloway: 16,819 reported potholes
- Derbyshire County: 13,327
- Shropshire: 8,686
These aren’t roads—they’re geological features.
Citroën’s FOI also asked councils to categorise their road networks into green, amber, and red conditions. “Red” means someone should probably investigate before a wheel falls off. The answer: over 12,000 miles of red-grade road across the UK.
After digesting that grim report card, Citroën put its money where Britain’s asphalt used to be. The brand funded one week of pothole repairs in Gateshead, resulting in 250 square metres of cracked, cratered road being patched.
Citroën’s Message: Local Councils Need More Than Sympathy
“We’re highlighting ongoing problems the UK’s roads are facing,” said Greg Taylor, Citroën UK’s managing director. “More needs to be done… councils need more support.”
He’s not wrong. The government pledged an additional £1.6 billion toward local road maintenance last year. But according to the latest ALARM report, fully clearing the UK’s pothole backlog would take 12 years and £16.8 billion—assuming we don’t add fresh potholes faster than we fill them.
If You Can’t Fix the Roads, Cushion the Ride
This is where Citroën pivots gracefully from civic frustration to showroom opportunity. If the blacktop won’t behave, the French brand suggests driving something designed to soak up the abuse.
The latest C3 Aircross and C5 Aircross come standard with Citroën’s “Advanced Comfort” suspension—those hydraulic bump stops that make speed bumps and broken surfaces feel more like rolling over a thick carpet than a medieval torture device. Add in soft, sofa-like seats and you’ve essentially built a cocoon for anyone forced to commute on Britain’s war-torn roads.
Sure, fixing potholes is ideal. But until the UK closes a £16-billion crater of its own, Citroën seems prepared to patch the problem—or at least help you glide over it.
Source: Auto Express