Citroen C4 2006 News

Manufacturers including BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Peugeot and Citroen have issued recalls via the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

...actually wind back its adventurous looks.The new Picasso is coming at the Paris Motor Show in September but this Carparazzi picture points to a more conventional big-box design, although it has trendy turbine-design alloys and retains the small window behind the A-pillar that's a signature of the current C4.

Due to arrive here in the third quarter of 2011 – along with its youth-targeting DS4 sibling – the C4 noses in with the new family chevron grille and rear gate, and redesigned bumpers and light clusters, with the interior getting a trim makeover and new technology in the entertainment and communications departments, including the ‘eTouch’ emergency assistance system. A second-generation stop-start system and brake energy recovery combine to make all the new C4s micro-hybrids, allied to either the 120kW and 155kW petrol engines or the 110kw and 150kW turbodiesels.

Somewhere under all this black plastic is the next C4, and while Citroen has tried to make sure there’s little to see under the camouflage, it’s easy to identify the car from its signature sharply raked windscreen and rounded rear.But this test car, caught out and about by spy-snappers Carparazzi, also shows new tail-light clusters and changes to the headlight components – although it’s unlikely Citroen will do away completely with the cluster’s current claw-like shape.The next Citroen C4, tipped to debut at the Paris motor show in September next year and be  launched at the end of 2010, will be lighter and more efficient than the current car, the company’s product boss Vincent Besson has revealed. Speaking at the recent Frankfurt motor show, Besson also said that the new hatchback is likely to be offered with three cylinder engines and, possibly, petrol-electric hybrid power during its lifetime, although not from launch. Besson also laid out the company’s strategy for hybrid and electric vehicles, saying that petrol-electric power is not necessary or economically viable in small city cars, and only for high-end versions of the next C4.  The smaller cars are likely to be developed from a model based on the Mitsubishi i-Miev.However, he expects that ‘a large part of a future C5 range’ will have hybrid power.

Proving that you can always try to squeeze one more creative angle out of a great idea, Citroen has released another dancing robot ad. The first of the series – in which a C4 unfolded like a Transformer and then grooved its way through some great dance moves developed by Justin Timberlake's choreographer to rave master Jacques Lu Cont ‘s infectious track Jacques Your Body – went viral when it was launched in 2005, and still logs views on the internet, as well as having spawned a million spoofs It was followed by Citroen putting a robot on ice the following year, and now with another parroting John Travolta’s swagger through Brooklyn in the opening scenes of Saturday Night Fever to mark the release of the restyled C4. The theme music, Stayin’ Alive, keys in with Citroen’s claim that the C4 is `alive with technology’ but the concept is starting to look as dated as the disco era it references. The ad has just started airing in Britain, but there are no plans yet to show it here.  

 The C4 small car hatchback will be offered with a two-litre turbodiesel having significantly stronger performance than the current diesel option - a 1.6-litre unit capable of delivering 80kW of power. The new two-litre diesel - the car will be called the Citroen C4 HDi 2.0 - will generate 100kW of power and 320Nm of torque, increasing for short periods to 340Nm with an over-boost function available under full acceleration. Citroen says that the diesel version is the biggest seller of its C4 Picasso range and so is now to offer that two-litre diesel engine in the C4 hatchback. It boasts an acceleration time of 0-100km/h in 10.4 seconds yet has an officially-rated fuel economy of 5.1 litres/100km. The C4 HDi 2.0 will have the same equipment specification as the two-litre petrol version. This means ABS brakes, climate control airconditioning, 17in diameter alloy wheels, cruise control and stability control. Pricing of the new C4 diesel will be announced when the car is shown at February's Brisbane Motor Show. “The arrival of this new variant of the Citroen C4 range is a clear illustration of how the diesel car market in Australia is maturing,” says Citroen Australia general manager Miles Williams. The C4 diesel will have a six-speed automatic transmission. Citroen also has confirmed that the latest version of the little C3 hatchback will offer a diesel variant. It uses diesel at a rate of 4.4 litres/100km producing 118g/km of emissions. It takes ju8st 10.8 seconds to hit 100km/h from a standing start.

And, for the first time in Australia, a leading design company will join manufacturers at the exhibition as the local branch of the German design and engineering company EDAG

New Cars at Australian Motor Show

The suggestion that, in some months at least, Corollas would outsell Commodores would have got you locked up. Back then, of course, oil was but $30 a barrel.Although the VE Commodore is set to remain Australia's single, top-selling model range (see pages eight and nine) at least for the time being, the ground on which the passenger-car market is played has shifted seismically.The immediate consequence is the ever-increasing popularity of relatively economical, four-cylinder, petrol-engined vehicles. Beyond that, cars powered by alternative fuels are with us in a way that's only going to get bigger.Although diesel power comprises but a fraction of private-vehicle sales, that fraction has expanded this year to the point where "alternative" is too flighty a term.Diesel has long been the dominant fuel in Europe, where tax incentives make it affordable. But even its comparatively heavy price at the pumps, and the premium Australians are obliged to pay for diesel cars, haven't curtailed the segment's growth.At mid-year 12,182 diesel cars and SUVs had been bought by private owners. That's about one-twentieth of the number who bought petrol vehicles.But twice as many diesel cars had been bought by June 30 as had been by mid-2005.Volkswagen, now the best-selling German marque in Australia, sells more of its direct-injection, turbo-diesel models than its petrol variants.The oilers available in cars of other marques — notably Audi, Peugeot and Citroen — make their near-equivalent-capacity petrol cars redundant.VW's Polo Match diesel ($22,990) and the Citroen C4 1.6 HDi ($29,990) are just two diesels easily capable of more than 1000km on a tank.The counter-claim that this superior-to-petrol economy barely compensates for a higher purchase price is diminished by two factors.The first is that petrol equivalents of these cars demand costly premium unleaded. The second is that, increasingly, purchase prices are coming into line with those of petrol-driven cars.Although hardly the most affordable example at $86,500, the recently launched Audi A4 3.0 V6 TDI Quattro literally drives home the point that diesel doesn't mean forsaking fun.This A4 is a legitimate sports sedan that provides greater torque and superior dynamics to the $130K Audi S4 with its V8 petrol engine.The A4 TDI benefits from essentially the same technology that powered twin Audi R10 diesels to victory and third place at Le Mans in June.So, too, does parent group VW, whose range of 1.9 and 2.0 TDI Golfs starts from a less exotic $30K.If diesel provides the most readily available and popular petrol alternative (VW has an oiler model in every range, including the forthcoming Eos drop-top), petrol/electric hybrids are coming hither.If the most notable, Toyota's Prius, is a platform to showcase technology rather than a decent car, then the cheaper Honda Civic Hybrid shows that petrol-electric combinations need not mean complete compromise.And the superb GS450H by Toyota's luxury subsidiary, Lexus, points to a future where V8-equivalent performance can be had for four-cylinder fuel economy, although an affordable way of accessing something so seamless (the GS450H costs $122K) is some way off.Hydrogen vehicles are up and running, but not thus far as practical, mass-produced units.BMW has been involved in hydrogen-cell research and development for 15 years, as product chief Burkhard Goschel told CARSguide last week."It will grow up, but how fast I don't know," Goschel said."The issue is storing hydrogen. You need about 10kg for a good range. It should be in liquid form, but some issues over storage in cars has to be solved."Expect BMW to reveal a major development on this front later this year.Once omnipotent in Aussie family-car dominance, Holden and Ford Australia are belatedly getting hip to a world where unleaded petrol costs $1.50 a litre.Both manufacturers' parents have access to first-rate diesel engines. The prospect of a Falcon packing the superb 2.7-litre V6 bi-turbo diesel that also powers Citroens and Jags, is intriguing.More immediately, Ford Australia has been galvanised to harness a readily available technology.In an elaborate 23-day, 13,000km trial, an LPG-equipped Falcon is travelling around Australia for about $1000 in fuel. Lexus GS450hPrice: $121,900Engine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol & 147kW electric hybridPower (total): 253kW/368Nm plusO-100km/h: 6.0 secs (est)Fuel consumption (urban/open road combined): 7.9 litres per 100kmThe first practical rear-wheel-drive luxury hybrid sedan makes Lexus's petrol V8s obsolete.The hybrid Lexus betters the performance of the latter for fourcylinder economy. Only the lack of boot space - compromised by the RWD and battery gubbins - detracts from the package. Toyota Prius IIPrice: From $37,000-$46,500Engine: 1.5-litre hybridPower/Torque: 57kW/115Nm0-100km/h: 10.9 secsConsumes: 4.4L/100kmOutstanding economy doesn't mitigate a prohibitive price tag, laughable looks and appalling driving experience.You can have a petrol/electric hybrid without too much compromise, but not in this, the model that is unfortunately - synonymous with the technology.Honda's Civic Hybrid is not only cheaper, it also looks like a car. Peugeot 407 HDiPrice: From $61,990Engine: 2.7-litre V6 bi-turbo dieselPower/Torque: 150kW/440Nm0-100km/h: 8.5 secsConsumes: 8.4L/100kmThe Ford/PSA joint venture twin-turbo diesel engine has won friends and influenced people since making its local debut in Jaguar's S-Type.Available now in Pug's medium sedan and wagon, the thing can be accessed for $40K less. Ignoring the usual French-car caveats, these models render the V6 petrol irrelevant. Ford Territory TurboPrice: From $53,990 >Engine: 4.0-litre six-cyl turbo petrolPower/torque: 245kW/480Nm0-100km/h: 7.0 sec (est)Consumes: 14.2L/100kmAustralia's favourite SUV just got more go. Only problem is that it won't go as far - between refills, that is.The all-wheel-drive Territory Turbo is an immensely accomplished SUV that really does have car-like handling, and a superb ZF six-speed auto gearbox.Not only is the Tezza Turbo's claimed consumption figure considerable, however, it's also optimistic. Holden Commodore OmegaPrice: From $34,490Engine: 3.6-litre V6 petrolPower/torque: 180kW/0-100km/h: TBAConsumes:10.9L/100kmAustralia's favourite fleet and government hack is finally here and it's pretty good (see page 24).But is it too little, too late? Or, rather, too much, too late? Holden have made much of the fact that the incoming VE range drinks no more than the VZ series it replaces. Still that translates to almost $100 to fill from empty. Mazda 3 Maxx SportPrice: $28,500 (auto)Engine: 2.0-litre four-cyl petrolPower/torque: 108kW/182Nm0-100km/h: 9.0 secsConsumes: 8.9L/100kmIt's Australia's favourite fully-imported car and with reason - combining bullet-proof Japanese quality, strong performance, driver-orientated dynamics and good economy.Recently upgraded, the 3 comes as either a five-speed auto or six-speed manual gearboxes (another economy fillip), improved refinement and Euroequalling safety packages.The 3 range starts from $21K, but punters typically go for the upperechelon models.  COMPARING FUELS  PetrolBy degrees of magnitude the most common fuel used in passenger vehicles.PROS: Ready availability, almost infinite choice of capacity, relative affordability.CONS: Petrol prices are going in only one direction - north. DieselDiesels comprise a rapidly growing segment of the passenger car market.PROS: Economy (more than 1000km per tank in some models). Performance.CONS: Most diesel pumps are filthy. Diesel contains higher levels of sulphur. Biodiesel is rare and expensive. HybridRefers mainly to vehicles which use a rechargeable electric energy storage system and a fuelled propulsion power source.PROS: Low-polluting and low-consuming. Increasingly affordable. Near silent.CONS: Far too expensive (Prius). Dangerously silent. LPGEmission reducing and half the price of petrol, liquid petroleum gas is most commonly used in dual fuel large sedans, especially taxis.PROS: Much cheaper and much cleaner than petrol.CONS: LPG provision can eat boot space. Do you really want to drive a cab? HydrogenIn combustion variants, hydrogen is burned in much the same method as a petrol engine. In fuel-cell conversion, the hydrogen is converted to electricity through cells that then power electric motors.PROS: A BMW internal combustion hydrogen car has attained 300 km/h. Mazda has developed rotary engines to burn hydrogen. General Motors is investing in fuel cells.CONS: Making hydrogen a practical fuel is proving very difficult with no infrastructure at fuel stations to support it. EthanolWhile the grain-derived stuff is "greener" than pure petrol, by no means is it so certain that all cars will run happily on the 10 per cent recommended ethanol mix.PROS: Nice for Manildra. The Liberal Party loves it.CONS: By no means nice for your car. The Liberal Party loves it.

The dancing C4, which has transformed from car to 'bot on a rooftop rap dance in the past, is now a skate star.Citroen says its hero has become a speed skater to highlight the handling, braking and agility of the C4.As always, there is a kick. This time, the 'bot slides to a halt and showers a group of Citroen engineers with a cloud of ice dust.Creation of the skating robot was done by digitising the actions of British Olympic speed skater Nicky Gooch, as the commercial was produced in the UK."We were keen to provide an alternative style, to reveal a different side to the robot’s personality and highlight the dynamism of the car," says Mike Ibbett, Citroen UK’s Marketing Director."The C4 is now the second best selling Citroen in the UK and the revamp of our award winning advertising is designed to maintain the C4 in the national consciousness."