Citroen C4 Cactus 2016 News

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of safety recall notices, with models from Nissan, Jeep, Ford, Mazda, Infiniti and Citroen affected.

The Australasian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced another set of national safety recalls, with models from Mazda, Tesla, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Citroen impacted.

Tesla has issued a voluntary recall for its electric Model S sedan and Model X SUV after discovering a potential manufacturing issue that could stop the electric park brake from functioning properly.

It can take a hit from a runaway shopping trolley travelling at 40km/h. Meet the car that can’t be dented.The car that can’t be dented by shopping trolleys goes on sale in Australia today.In a world first, the French-made Citroen Cactus has large rubber panels on the doors, with air bubbles that can absorb the impact of a runaway shopping trolley travelling at 40km/h -- with 40kg of groceries on board.Shopping trolley dents and other dings cost car owners and the insurance industry millions of dollars in minor repairs each year.But dent removal experts say they don’t believe the Citroen Cactus will damage their business, because the car is sold in relatively small numbers -- and the full size protection strips with built-in air bubbles are unlikely to be fitted to other models.There is just one catch with the dent-free car.You need to be able to drive a “stick shift” manual transmission to buy the cheapest version of the Citroen Cactus.The $26,990 petrol model is available with manual transmission only.An automatic is available for $29,990, but it has a diesel engine.The Cactus is part of the growing trend towards SUVs that are more like high-riding hatchbacks than genuine bush bashers.Executives from the French car maker admitted when they came up with the name ‘Cactus’ it was meant to inspire images of a great weekend escape.They were not aware the word ‘Cactus’ in Australia can also mean something doesn’t work anymore or has conked out, as in “she’s cactus”.“The naming was a prickly issue and a thorn in the side of our marketing team, but it’s fundamental to the design philosophy of the vehicle,” said Citroen Australia spokesman Tyson Bowen. “It’s a fun name for a fun car.”Buyers clearly don’t mind being seen in the oddly-designed Cactus.One in three Citroen Cactus SUVs ordered in Australia so far are bright yellow -- even though there are 23,184 configurations from which to choose once you take into account all colour and trim combinations.Do you find the trolley-proof Cactus appealing? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

The future of Citroen in Australia hinges on a single car, the C4 Cactus.

Citroen has announced that its unique C4 Cactus compact SUV will hit Australia in the first quarter of 2016 to rival cars like the new Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V. The Cactus brings a number of unique family-friendly features to the compact SUV segment, which aim to give it a practical edge over its rivals.One detail that all city-dwellers will appreciate is what Citroen calls Airbump technology – essentially a group of plastic-surfaced air capsules built into parts of the body that are usually prone to dents and scrapes.No maintenance is required and should someone ding your door or run a shopping trolley into parts of the car equipped with the bubbles no damage will be done. The clever design continues inside where the passenger airbag has been mounted in the roof allowing for a massive 8.5-litre storage compartment in the dashboard. The Cactus also features two digital displays – one for the instrument cluster and another larger centrally mounted screen housing the air-con and multimedia controls. If someone dings your door or runs a shopping trolley into parts of the car equipped with the air bubbles, no damage is done. Another quirk is the gear selector which is a simple switch located where you might ordinarily find air-con controls, and the door handles are leather straps. Cactus engine options in Europe include a 60kW 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol, 80kW petrol and 74kW turbodiesel unit capable of using as low as 3.1L/100km combined on the European cycle. Riding on a variation of the award-winning Peugeot 208’s platform, the Cactus is 4160mm long, 1730mm wide and 1480mm tall. Remarkably, it weights less than 1000kg (in European trim) tipping the scales at just 965kg. It's also around 200kg lighter than the standard C4 hatchback. Local pricing and specifications for the C4 Cactus SUV will be revealed closer to the car’s Australian launch early next year. 

A car that comes with a drone to see what’s causing the traffic snarl ahead, another that accepts deliveries while you’re at work, and a self driving car with seats that face backwards.

Citroen is known for being a bit quirky, and they've amped up that 'bit' to 'a whole lot' with the coming C4 Cactus, which has not moved far from its funky concept styling.Set to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show next month, the C4 Cactus carries over most of the cues from last year's Frankfurt Cactus concept -- most notably the 'airbump' panels along the sides, designed both for visual impact and to protect the vehicle against the scuffs of real impact.However the side openings  have been replaced by more conventional pillared windows, although blacked out to retain the appearance of a floating roof. And the concepts 'circuit board' headlights and tail-lights have been ditched in favour of normal LED clusters.The interior has kept the vented leather upholstery on bench seats with strong metal  accents and the floating screens for instrumentation and infotainment.Citroen has not yet revealed any drivetrain details for the C4 Cactus, however we expect the show reveal to include information on economy-focused petrol and diesel engines.

Here's a smooth newcomer with a spiky mission for Citroen. As the French maker uses a style-driven push in Australia with its DS line, its Cactus concept is unveiled this week to preview the thinking behind a revitalisation of its mainstream C-Line models.Citroen believes the design of the Cactus crossover is the look that will work for people who buy cars for transport, although it's not backing away from its aspiring-for-prestige position down under. It's not as outrageous as some recent sports car dream machines, but it's not just a boring box."The French are renowned for flair and cutting-edge design and that won't disappear. It's in the DNA," the head of Citroen Australia, John Startari, tells Carsguide. "The global strategy concentrates on product development and the C-Line range will be pitched as the more-affordable models."So Startari confirms that Citroen is working closely with Peugeot in Australia, dovetailing their lineups with the top end reserved for his DS models, as they work under the shared ownership of the Sime Darby group. "That's to stop cannibilisation in the PSA stable," he says.Looking closer at the Cactus, Startari sees potential for Australia even though the Frankfurt motor show car is revealed with left-hand drive. "Citroen has tended to go into production with the majority of its concepts, so . ," hints Startari."It's too early to determine if it will come to Australia. But we've a hot, dry country and there is a certain resonance." Among the design work on the Cactus is a 'driver's station' with controls in a fully-digital interface, sofa-style front seats, natural materials and what Citroen calls 'non-aggressive flowing surfaces' for the body.Technology work starts with lightweight body panels, 'airbumps' to protect the body, and a hybrid drivetrain - incorporating compressed air and hydraulics - that promises 2.5 litres/100km economy.This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover