2017 Citroen C3 officially revealed

Citroen’s third-generation C3 five-door hatch has been officially revealed a day after images of the car were leaked online.

Unveiled in France today, the new C3 shows off styling inspired by the quirky cool C4 Cactus SUV complete with ‘Airbumps’ of its own to protect against runaway shopping trollies.

The C3 wears the fresh Citroen family face with the high-placed LED running lights joined by the new slim grille with chevron logo. Pumped-up wheel arches with moulded plastic flares similar to the give the C3 a robust look reminiscent of the Cactus while the wheel design is the same as the SUV.

As with the Cactus, Citroen says customisation will be a strength of C3 with three choices of colour for the two-tone roof, along with colour choices for the fog lights, wing mirrors, rear window surround and of course the Airbumps. The nine body colours include Shark Grey and Ruby Red with 36 possible colour combinations in total.

The quirkiest feature of the new C3 is the camera mounted on the windscreen allowing the driver to film or take photos of the road ahead and upload to social media.

There’s a strong focus on comfort and roominess in the cabin, with lounge-style seating and innovative storage which frees up interior space. Climate and media controls are accessed through a seven-inch which sits below a minimalist-designed dashboard.

Perhaps the quirkiest feature of the new C3 is the camera mounted on the windscreen allowing the driver to film or take photos of the road ahead and upload to social media.

At 3990mm end-to-end and 1750mm wide the new C3 is only minutely bigger than the old car. At 1470mm tall the hatch is 40mm shorter than the previous car – giver it a sleeker profile. The big change in dimensions is the one that will matter most to passengers – wheelbase, which has another 80mm in it at 2540mm.

While specifications have yet to be announced for Australia, the line-up in Europe will be powered by a choice of three petrol engines and two diesel engines, all with a manual gearbox as standard. A six speed automatic transmission will be available as an option.

The new C3 is expected to arrive in Australia in mid-2017 with Citroen Australia boss Kai Bruesewitz saying it will be a welcome addition to the local line-up.

“The new C3 brings with it a host of innovative and practical features wrapped up in an attractive and fun design,” he said.

“Negotiations are well underway and we are very keen to reintroduce the C3 to Australia if we can deliver a package that meets the needs of Australian customers and complements the overall local brand direction.”