Citroën could channel the spirit of the old Picasso, because it believes an MPV revival is on the cards.

The brand showed the radical ELO concept late last year as a vision of what a supermini-sized six-seater could look like. Although bosses have not yet given it the green light for production, it hints at a plan to bring back the traditional people carrier.

Citroën was once a front-runner in the compact MPV market, with the Xsara Picasso ranking among its best-sellers during the early 2000s.

The market for compact MPVs has all but dried up, with the closest equivalents on offer being based on small vans, such as the Ford Tourneo Courier and Citroën’s own Berlingo.

But the company’s design boss, Pierre Leclercq, has suggested that a revival could be on the horizon.

Asked if he would put the ELO concept in the same category as the Picasso, Leclercq told Autocar that “it’s okay to call it an MPV” because that designation has more favourable implications than it did several years ago.

“Once they were replaced by SUVs, it seemed that MPVs were an old thing – not very sexy to drive. But I think there’s a way to make MPVs sexy and desirable,” said Leclercq, pointing to the ELO as an indication of what that could look like.

As to whether that could mean Citroën plans to revive one of its most popular nameplates in recent memory, he said: “Rebirth of a cool Picasso – why not?”

However, he said any decision must be founded on viability and Citroën is closely monitoring feedback to the ELO.

“Concept cars are important because it’s a test,” he said. “If there’s a lot of positive activity about this concept and it’s really appreciated, it gives us strength to push in the group to do something like that. So I’m very positive and hopeful about doing something like this.”