Citroen News

IT's the car that showed Jaguar had got its groove back ... The C-X75 concept car was a hit at the 2010 Paris motor show, with the stunning design showing that Jaguar had relocated its supply of mojo, which had been put into storage under Ford ownership. Developed in association with the Williams F1 racing team, the hybrid supercar will be built from 2013 in a limited run of 250, but there is no set quota allocated specifically for Australia. “It is an order-based system, so it will be first come first served around the world,” Jaguar Australia spokesperson Narine Salmasi says. Expressions of interest aren’t coming through local HQ but through a phone number that goes directly to the UK office, she says. “We’ve had a few inquiries but can’t confirm exactly how solid their level of interest is yet.” The car will be priced from 700,000 pounds ($1.2 million) in the UK, with taxes likely to add a large slug on top of that. The production model will not use the show concept’s micro-turbines -- although Jaguar has said it will still look at developing the technology further – but instead rely on a small, boosted petrol engine and an electric motor at each axle. The C-X75 will have a top speed of 322km/h and log the 0-100km/h sprint in under 3 seconds, with an electric-only range of 50km, and emissions predicted to be under 100g/km.

It scored the five-star safety ranking in a fresh round of NCAP testing in Europe that includes the first results for an electric car - a four-star score for the Mitsubishi iMiEV. The Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot's iOn, which share the basic design of the iMiEV, also got a four-star score. In other results, the Hyundai ix20 - a baby MPV under consideration for local sales - also got five stars and the bargain Dacia Duster was a three-star disappointment. The Mitsubishi result with the iMiEV wins praise from the head of Euro NCAP, Dr Michiel van Ratingen, "We recognize the efforts done by Mitsubishi to demonstrate that plug-  in battery powered cars can be as safe as others. It shows that a future 5 star accolade for EVs is not unthinkable," he says. "Whether produced by established car manufacturers or by new players on the market, consumers should expect to get electric vehicles that meet the same safety standards as conventional vehicles." Euro NCAP confirms its real-world emphasis by testing the iMiEV with 'live' batteries, also emphasising the post-crash battery integrity and operation of the battery cut-off switch. At the same time as the latest European results, the Kia Optima - already one of the surprising delights in Australia in 2010 - became the first Korean car to achieve the highest safety rating from the National Highway Transport Safety Administration in the USA. It gets a five-star ranking under a system that includes tougher new crash tests.  

So just for you, a Citroen-sponsored "visionary'' has created a three-wheeled vehicle for the future that places the driver at the centre of the main wheel. The "E-3POD Antistatic'' is an electric single seater that won its designer, Heikki Juvonen, a six-month employment contract at the PSA Design Centre in Paris. One of a series of submissions by Royal College of Arts second year students in London, the ultra-light, micro segment, single-seater is designed as an urban commuter. It is not meant to replace cars, but to be an addition to the family transport fleet positioned between bicycles and cars.  The E-3POD has a simplified, lightweight construction to make it affordable and has an emphasis on aerodynamics to minimise the electric motor's required battery size. The rear wheel is a structural element, there is shared suspension for both front wheels and it has scratch-resistant plastic for the canopy.  Judges say the E-3POD provides the user with easy, cost efficient transport with access to easier parking due to the small footprint. Second prize went to the designer who created a cage in which to park the Antistatic.

CRAIG Lowndes started the 2011 V8 Supercar season with an emphatic lap record at the Eastern Creek test day at the weekend. The five-time Bathurst winner and three-time series champion set a lap of 1m30.1877s on fresh, soft tyres, beating Mark Skaife's 1999 pole position lap by half a second. Commodores took the top seven positions, while current champion James Courtney was 16th in his HRT Holden. The series begins next weekend in Abu Dhabi.THE Daytona 24-Hour came down to a one-lap sprint to the flag after a late restart at the weekend. Defending Grand-Am Series champion Scott Pruett held off his teammate, Kiwi Scott Dixon, by 2.42 seconds in the one-lap dash to take out the title at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. It was team owner Chip Ganassi's fourth win.GT vehicles will join with production cars for the first time in the Bathurst 12-Hour this weekend. There are entries from Audi, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Holden, Lotus, Mitsubishi, Mosler, Nissan, Porsche and Subaru. However, outright honours are expected to be fought out between Porsche teams and the 11-time Le Mans winners, Audi Sport Team Joest, with Craig Lowndes as the lead driver in an R8.FORMER F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen and World Rally Champion Petter Solberg have been confirmed to contest Rally Australia at Coffs Coast, New South Wales, in September. They will drive works-built Citroen DS3 WRC rally cars. Raikkonen's ICE1 Racing team will contest 10 of the 13 WRC rounds this year, while Solberg finished third last year and will compete in the full season.TASMANIAN Jason White has moved to the top of the Australian Targa Championship points table with a dominant performance at the second round of the series, Targa Wrest Point, out of Hobart. The reigning Wrest Point champion drove his Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera to a 29-second lead from South Australian Steve Glenney in a Mazda RX8 SP and Queenslander Tony Quinn third in his Nissan GT-R. The final round is the Targa Tasmania from April 5 to 10.EASTERN Creek International Raceway in Sydney will get a $9 million circuit upgrade. Work will include increasing the circuit's capacity and track configurations to four layouts with two circuits able to operate independently. The upgrade follows the recent closure of Oran Park.CHAD Reed has claimed his first podium with his own team, TwoTwo Motorsports, at in the fourth round of the AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, at the weekend in Oakland, California. The Australian finished second n the slick surface behind James Stewart and remains in fifth position in the titles while Stewart moves to the top. The next event is in LA this weekend.FLOOD damage has forced the third and fourth rounds of the Australian Off Road Championship to be moved from Queensland to Victoria. The March round at Goomburra will now be held on May 28-29 at Hedley in Victoria. Motorcycling Queensland has cancelled the Queensland 2 Day Enduro to the floods, but the national CIK Stars of Karting Series will go ahead as scheduled on February 26/27 in Ipswich. The International Karting Committee decision has come after consultation with the local council. The five-round series is conducted in four states up to September.TWO-time World Superbike champion Troy Corser has admitted he doesn't have many years left at the top level. The 39-year-old BMW rider from Wollongong missed the first test day in Portugal to test on his own at Eastern Creek and start his physical training earlier than usual. "I know I haven't got too many seasons left at the highest level, so I am really motivated to make the most of the next few years," he said. The season starts at Philip island on February 27.

After it's global unveiling at the 2010 Paris Motor Show followed by some rigorous testing, the DS3 WRC is ready for action.  The car will make its racing debut in February at the Swedish Rally, part of the 2011 World Rally Championship (WRC), covering a variety of conditions, climates and terrains.  Australia will finally get a glimpse of the car in September when it will visit to compete at Rally Australia in Coffs Harbour.The DS3 WRC is the third rally car entered by Citroen in the 2011 World Rally Championship (WRC) after the Xsara and C4. Five DS3's in total will be seen over the course of the championship, with two crews entered by Citroen and three from privateers. Citroen Racing is taking no chances when it comes to retaining their driver and manufacturer titles, recruiting a top-tier team including eight-time WRC champion drivers Sebastian Loeb and Daniel Elena. Two-time WRC champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia will drive the No.2 car.See the Citroen DS3 WRC at Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour, NSW from 8 to 11 September 2011.

CRAIG Lowndes leads a surprising Audi attack on the Bathurst 12-Hour race over easter with a pair of race-prepared R8 coupes. Rule changes for the endurance event at Mount Panorama have opened the event to sports cars and Audi has a pair of R8s coming from Europe - V8 Supercar racer Warren Luff will share with Lowndes - to take on the Porsche 911s that are expected to fight for victory.THE struggling Australian Rally Championship is headed for a revamp and improvement to its relevance under new chairman Scott Pedder. The retired driver intends to make the series more appealing to carmakers from 2011 and move it away from the reliance on the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evo contenders that dominate entry lists.THE full-scale renewal of the V8 Supercars field will take place in 2013 when the category's Car of the Future will become compulsory. There was talked of an optional phase-in for the change in 2012 but V8 Supercars bosses now say the transitional year has been dumped in favour of a single switch at the start of 2013.CITROEN stalwart Dani Sordo, who was superstar Sebastian Loeb's sidekick for five years at Citroen, is moving to Mini for this year's World Rally Championship. Mini is only planning a limited program against Ford and Citroen before a full-scale season in 2011, but has signed Sordo the Spaniard as lead driver alongside Chris Meeke of the UK.FORMER champion Chad Reed made a tentative return to AMA Supercross racing in the USA last weekend riding a Honda for his own team for the first time. The Aussie was fifth at Anaheim Stadium in Los Angeles as Ryan Villopoto won on the Monster Kawasaki he used to ride.

The 2.7-litre, twin-turbo V6 Ford/PSA engine - previously deployed in models as diverse as the Jaguar XF and Citroen's C5 - brings to this hitherto thirsty, petrol-only range the low-end torque and economy that makes diesel the power source of choice for buyers of bigger SUVs. Emissions will be cut by as much as 25 per cent compared with the Territory's venerable naturally aspirated in-line petrol six, while output should be in the vicinity of 150kW and 440Nm: just what the two-tonne Strayan SUV needs. New SUVs are thick on the ground in 2011, but the fairest of them all is the Range Rover Evoque, which brings designer desirability and - at little more than $50K - relative affordability to the segment.  Range Rover's first foray into the domain of the Q5s and X3s of this world will bring Land Rover's luxury badge within reach of people who don't necessarily use them to form convoys outside private schools. It's the smallest, lightest Rangie ever, and the leanest version emits about 130g of CO2 per kilometre.  Most of all, Gerry McGovern's sublime, compact design - especially in coupe format - will change the way you look at SUVs. Roll on September. On a softer note, compact SUVs - prestige ones, in particular - have been the growth segment of the past few years.  This year brings an especially intriguing contrast: two Volkswagen Group models, both with Tiguan underpinnings and most likely highly similar drivetrains, one built in Spain, the other in the Czech Republic. The former is Audi's Q3, the latter Skoda's Yeti. The Audi will carry a premium price tag; the Skoda won't. Compare and contrast.  In tougher terrain, the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee lobs later this month with its newly acquired monocoque chassis, reportedly tarted-up interior and a trio of V engines; a new 209kW 3.6-litre petrol V6; a 5.7-litre Hemi petrol V8; and a three-litre CRDi turbo-diesel six. The Cherokee's Patriot and Wrangler stablemates have also been updated. Just as ballsy (more so, even) is Nissan's Pathfinder Ti 550, the most powerful version to date, with its stump-pullin' three-litre turbo-diesel V6. If the sun is temporarily eclipsed in June, it's probably due to the vastness of the latest Volkswagen Touareg with its new range of six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and a platform shared with the exxier likes of Audi's Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. There can be few left in this global village who haven't been exposed to pre-launch publicity for the Toyota FJ Cruiser.  This four-year-old, retro-designed device finally gets here in March, lugged along by the four-litre V6 petrol engine from the 150 Series Prado. Claimed outputs are 200kW and 380Nm.  If you must have one, that blue seems the least ostentatious colour.

The French car maker has released some pricing and specification information ahead of the new light car's showroom debut later this month, with Citroen making the somewhat odd boast that the top-spec model has "the largest windscreen ever seen on a small car," the panoramic Zenith windscreen, 35 per cent larger than a normal windscreen. Prices will start from $19,990 for the C3 VT manual-only, the VTR+ will retail from $23,490 for the petrol/auto or $23,990 for the turbodiesel/manual.  The C3 Exclusive flagship in petrol/auto will be priced from $25,990 or the turbodiesel/manual model will retail from $26,490. The incoming C3 will go up against the Peugeot 207 and Renault's Clio, as well as the Polo from Volkswagen and Ford's inbound Thai-built Fiesta.  Citroen says the C3 will be more refined than its predecessor, with three times as much sound-absorbent material than the outgoing vehicle. The new car measures 3940mm long, 1730mm wide and 1520mm tall and will offer 300 litres of bootspace despite being shorter than much of its competition. The little hatchback sat fourth - behind the C4, C5 and Berlingo - in terms of sales at the end of last year and instead of where perhaps it should be - in 2008 it sat second behind the C4, a position to which Citroen believes it can return with the new model. Citroen Australia general manager Miles Williams says the C3 has been an integral part of the company's Australian line-up and the outgoing model's supply dried up in May. "We have a considerable pent-up demand for the new model ... we have, therefore, released details of the prices and specifications ahead of the arrival of the new model so that customers can start selecting and ordering their new C3," he says. The new car has been built with the brief of lower weight, better aerodynamics and lower emissions.  The range will be offered with two petrol power-plants and one turbodiesel - the 1.6-litre 16-valve unit producing 66kW and 215Nm while claiming a combined fuel use figure of 4.3 litres per 100km will be teamed with a five-speed manual for the Exclusive model. The two petrol engines on offer will be a 54kW/118Nm 1.4-litre 16-valve petrol engine in the VT, teamed only with a five speed manual.  The VTR will be offered with the turbodiesel or the PSA/BMW joint-venture powerplant, the 1.6-litre turbocharged 16-valve engine producing 88kW and 160Nm - offer refined and economical performance. The new C3 range will have a six-speaker sound system - with the option of an upgraded eight-speaker set-up; Bluetooth phone/audio link and a USB port are available on the options list for all models bar the Exclusive. The new C3 safety features list will include stability control, anti-lock brakes and up to six airbags.  The entry-level VT model has 15in steel wheels, an MP3-compatible sound system with wheel-mounted controls,  air conditioning, power-adjustable mirrors, front power windows and a trip computer. The VTR+ adds curtain airbags, front fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, cooled glove box and cruise control with speed limiter; the Exclusive adds climate control, power windows front and rear, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, folding and heated door mirrors and 16in alloy wheels.

Designed and built exclusively by AMG, the Jaffa C 63 concept is a one-off with distinctive bright orange paint offset by black painted wheels, badges, grille, exhaust tips etc. Basically everything that’s not orange or glass is black. Even the custom black interior features orange highlights and orange stitching. But the real story is under the skin. The new Performance Package Plus is designed to appeal to the power-hungry sports driver. It increases power output by 22kW to a sky-high 358kW, delivering near-DTM race car performance potential (the DTM cars produce 377kW). Unlike the exclusive exterior treatment – which is bespoke – the Per-formance Package Plus is available for production C Class AMG vehicles  and includes a high-performance braking system with composite tech-nology on the front axle, a carbon fibre spoiler lip and an AMG perform-ance steering wheel clad in Nappa leather/Alcantara. Performance? Immense. This C63 AMG accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds and 0-200km/h in just 13.9 seconds. (The standard C63 AMG does it in 4.5 seconds and 15.2 seconds respectively). Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h. The boost in power arrives thanks to the AMG 6.3-litre V8 modified en-gine: forged pistons from the new SLS AMG supercar together with new conrods and a lightweight crankshaft translate into a weight saving of three kilograms. Reduced ?inertia boosts the responsiveness of the V8 engine. There is also a variable intake manifold painted titanium grey. The Performance Package Plus matches composite brake discs on the front axle with red-painted and AMG-logo brake calipers all round. The brake discs are connected to an aluminium bowl to avoid temperature peaks.  Even the connection between the disc and bowl is new: instead of the usual screw connection, the aluminium bowl is now connected to the brake disc via cast-in arms. The advantage is more consistent tempera-ture distribution on the brake disc. The C63 AMG is one of AMG’s most popular vehicles. In 2008, 8100 C 3s were sold worldwide. And they’re put to a range of private as well as official uses – for example a C63 AMG estate is used as the official F1 medical intervention car, and a C63 AMG sedan is the official safety car in the DTM German Touring Car Masters series.

The gorgeous supercar was only created as a motor show tease but the early reaction is so strong that the British company is considering a production future for the swoopy coupe.  "People keep tell us they want one. We might have to build it," Jaguar's chief designer, Ian Callum, tells Carsguide. Jaguar insiders admit it would take at least three years to convert the car for production, and it would lose it's high-tech hybrid system, but can see the potential.  "I'm throwing a stone into the pond. We want to see what sort of ripples it makes and where those ripples take us," Callum says. The C-X75 - for experimental coupe celebrating 75 years of Jaguar design - is the clear winner of Car of the Show honours at Paris in 2010, despite the best efforts of Ferrari, Lotus and even Audi with its latest E-Tron roaders. The C-X75 is fast, edgy and pushes the British brand's design direction to the limits - and beyond.  It's also super-quick, with a 330km/h top speed and 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.5 seconds, thanks to an all-electric drivetrain that puts an electric motor into each wheel. But power for the engines comes from a pair of compact gas-turbine engines, taking the 'range extender' hybrid approach of the Chevrolet Volt and pushing it to the limits of current technology. Jaguar says the lithium-ion batteries in the C-X75 will take the car 110 kilometres but its real range is 900 kilometres between refueling for the turbines. The C-X75 also has a lightweight alloy chassis, active aerodynamics to cut drag and boost cornering grip, a cab-forward driver location, forward-hinged doors with touch-sensor opening, a fingertip information control, and TFT gauges.