Soon you can C4 yourself

The quirky but pedestrian-friendly little French car, with its five-star safety rating and full glass roof, has sold nearly 900,000 models so far around the world.

The second generation will be unveiled at the Paris International Motor Show in October, before making its Australian debut in the middle of next year.

The two new 1.6-litre petrol engines, co-developed with BMW, are the 88kW VTi, which features variable valve lift and timing injection, and the 110kW THP (Turbo High Pressure). They replace the current 1.6i 16V and 2.0i 16V powerplants.

While the petrol engines will be changing, the C4 will nevertheless retain its current 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines.

The C4 has been known for its unique styling, which has been updated with a snazzy front end that borrows from its new big brother, the C5.

Citroen points to added chrome, a curvier bonnet and a restyled grille as signs the car's image will be more dynamic. Inside, the C4 is distinctive because of its dominant central dashboard display unit.

In the new model, the rev-counter will be repositioned there to keep information in one spot.

European models get Citroen's navigation system, MyWay, which comes with an 18cm (7-inch) screen, Bluetooth, USB connectivity plus a 10-gig hard drive built into the audio system.

However, how much of this is included in the Australian models won't be clear until next year when pricing will also be revealed.

The C4 currently sells from $23,990 for the 1.6-litre VTR two-door coupe. Top of the current range is the $36,990 VTS coupe with the diesels from $29,990.