Citroën’s hottest ever hatch is under starters orders! The 144 kW DS3 Racing, is set to get the green light at the Geneva Motor Show, and these are the first official pictures.

Sharing the same bold styling blueprint as the standard car, the DS3 Racing comes with a dark grey body contrasted with vibrant, bright orange-coloured roof, side mirrors, 18-inch alloy wheels, brake callipers and front grille surround with integrated orange chrome chevrons. The ‘Racing’ also gets a sporty carbon finish around the front bumper, wheel surrounds and side skirt.

Under the bonnet there’s a more powerful version of the firms turbo-charged 1,6-litre THP (Turbo High Pressure) engine, with the Racing spec unit capable of producing 144 kW, compared to the current DSport range-topper, which delivers 108 kW.

This means the fastest DS3 in the line-up will take only 6.9 seconds to go from 0 – 100 km/h and will be capable of a top speed of 224 km/h. This amount of power sits the Racing between MINI’s Cooper S and JCW, both of which use a version of the same engine, and on a level with rivals like the Renault Clio RS.

And it’s not just straight-line speed that has been fine-tuned. As well as a 30 per cent increase in power from the same sized engine, the DS3 Racing gets adapted suspension, with both front and rear tracks gaining 30 mm in width and the ride height has been lowered by 15 mm too. The front and rear dampers have also been appropriately tuned to handle the extra power. All this results in more precision, control and sportier handling. An enhanced braking system with 4-piston callipers incorporated into the front discs drastically improves stopping power, while the exhaust system has also been restyled.

On top of all this, expect the DS3 Racing to come with its fair share of limited edition badges and plaques, helping to further distinguish it from the rest of the range. The hot-hatch will be exclusive too. With only 1 000 units scheduled to be sold when it hits showrooms later this year.

Adapted from AutoExpress