Citroen News

The three brands are all gearing-up for a major attack on next year's new-age world championship, which will be open to smaller cars with smaller 1.6-litre turbocharged engines.Downsizing in the series means Citroen is switching to its C3, Ford is moving from the Focus to the Fiesta, and Mini is coming back to rallying for the first time since the 1960s with its Countryman.Ford already knows it has a winner in the Fiesta, which claimed the Monte Carlo Rally this year without a turbocharged engine. It is shown in Paris just a week before Ford begins testing for next year's championship, when it will try to snap Sebastian Loeb's six-year run as world championship with Citroen."Countless hours have gone into the Fiesta RS WRC to reach this point, and for the car to be unveiled in public for the first time is a proud moment for us.  We are right on track with our development and the team is delighted with testing to date," says Ford's rally boss, Malcolm Wilson.Its Citroen rival is already testing and picks up the basic mechanical package from the successful C4, with aero tweaking to the DS3 body including wider guards, a giant rear wing and cooling vents in the body.  But the rally star in Paris is the Mini, which is unveiled by FIA president and former rally co-driver Jean Todt.“The response to our announcement that Mini will return to the world of rallying next year was very positive. The FIA World Rally Championship is the pinnacle of rallying, making it the ideal platform for demonstrating the competitive spirit of our brand," says Mini's global marketing boss, Ian Robertson.The Countryman is massively tweaked for rallying and is displayed in Paris with giant front and rear wings, a bank of bonnet-mounted spotlights and a stripped-out cabin.The car is developed by Prodrive, the British motorsport operation that also runs Ford Performance Racing in the V8 Supercar championship, and has already run well in testing.  But Mini is unlikely to challenge Citroen and Ford in the early events of the 2011 WRC, which begins in Sweden in February.

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.

It will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show less than three weeks after the first of the breed, the DS3, goes on sale in Australia.The DS4 will be followed in 2011 by the DS5, which sits above the C5 range and is rumoured in Europe to contain Citroen's first diesel hybrid drivetrain.The DS4, like the DS3, takes the mechanical package of an existing Citroen model and gives it a major style tweak to create a sub-brand for fashionista around the world.Citroen describes the DS4 as a blend of creativity, dynamism, exclusivity and versatility. It sits slightly higher than the C4 with a premium cabin treatment including top-quality leather seats inside a giant panoramic windscreen.Although the car looks like a coupe it is actually a four-door that Citroen says can carry five adults."Reinterpreting cues opened up new possibilities, bringing practical and surprising solutions to automotive mobility," says the car's designer, Marc Pinson.It is already set for Australia, although Citroen is not talking about pricing beyond admitting it will cost more than the C4."The car will be coming here, in the third quarter of next year," says Citroen spokesman, Edward Rowe. "It's based on the C4, which will probably be in the second quarter. We're launching C3 and DS3 almost back-to-back this year, and the same with C4 and DS4 next year.""The cars the DS4 will be pitched against are the Audi A3, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and BMW 1 Series. It's in the premium end of the category, where the C4 is up against the Golf and Focus."

OWEN Kelly and Dale Wood will partner Rick and Todd Kelly in this year's V8 Supercar endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst.   Wood is the Jack Daniel's team's final signing, and comes after top-15 finishes in his first two starts at Mount Panorama.SEBASTIAN Loeb continued his unbeaten run in Rally Germany with his eighth straight win last weekend at the head of a Citroen sweep. Loeb was never headed and beat home his team mates Dani Sordo and Sebastian Ogier in Citroen C4s.Bryan Staring is on track to win the Australian Superbike Championship after sweeping both events at Queensland Raceway last weekend for Honda. The victories stretched his winning streak to four straight and gives him an 18.5-point lead in the series with two rounds to run.Scott Pye is pushing hard for the British Formula Ford Championship with a 1-2-4 record in the latest Brands Hatch triple-header. Pye is in second place in the series and the Triple Eight junior driver is also aiming to score a record number of individual race wins in a single season in the UK nursery series.KYLE Busch swept all three Nascar categories - Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup - in a record run on the high banks of Bristol speedway   last weekend. Marcos Ambrose was only 20th in the Nascar feature race after starting 22nd in his Toyota Camry.NICK Heidfeld will lead the test team bringing Pirelli into Formula One as the sole tyre supplier from the 2011 season. The former BMW F1   racer has been released from his test contract with Mercedes GP to take up the spot as chief test driver for Pirelli.TOP Fuel drag racer 'Aussie' Dave Grubnic (Subs: Correct) has taken the final place in the NHRA's 'Countdown to 1' field for 2010 in the USA. He made the cut by racing to the semi-finals of the most recent event in Minnesota, behind leader Larry Dixon, with the points now re-set for the final six races of the year.

Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe had a tough time in the   classic Indianapolis 500 last weekend, although Power battled with eventual race winner Dario Franchitti in the early laps from second on   the starting grid and came home eighth. Briscoe, his Penske Racing team mate, crashed on cold tyres after a pitstop and was classified   24th after starting fourth.Garth Tander and Will Davison have all-new Holden Commodores for the next round of the V8 Supercar championship in Darwin. The new cars are   chassis numbers WR012 and WR013, replacing the Holden Racing Team Commodores which have run for more than three years, and Davison's is his first new car since coming into the championship.Sebastian Loeb is finally under threat in the World Rally Championship after being beaten by his Citroen junior protege Sebastian Ogier in the Portugal Rally last weekend. Ogier is the standout youngster in the championship and, after threatening to unseat Loeb in New Zealand last month, finally delivered a 7.9-second win in Portugal in an identical Citroen C4, with the third of the French factory cars in third with Dani Sordo driving.The deal for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island has just been extended until 2016, with future options which could see the race at the Victorian track until 2026. The Australian GP Corporation confirmed the extension as it named truck company Iveco as naming rights sponsor for the MotoGP races in 2010 and 2011.Porsche driver David Wall dominated the third round of the Australian GT Championship last weekend at Eastern Creek, qualifying second and winning both mini-endurance events relatively easily. Mark Eddy had his best finish yet in his exotic Audi R8, finishing second ahead of Tony Quinn in a Mosler, after twin one-hour events at the Sydney track.FORMER V8 Supercar racer Darren Hossack was the big winner in the Sports Sedan feature event on the Shannons Nationals' program at Mallala in South Australia last weekend, driving from the rear of the field for one memorable win as he swept three starts in his V8 Audi.  Series leader Matt Kingsley was the winner in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Ben Barker emerged as a serious Formula 3 title contender after beating young New Zealand ace Mitch Evans.

And in traditional French fashion, the newest Citroen is designed to pamper its occupants.  Among some of its gimmicks is an in-car choice of different colours for the instrument display and a function that allows the driver to select their own polyphonic sound alerts.Some models will even be available with a massage function on the front seats.  Like other new European cars the C4 gets a host of new technologies, including a blind-spot monitoring system, a cornering light system, cruise control and speed-limiter with road speed memory settings and an innovative new service called eTouch.eTouch enables drivers to monitor their driving patterns and fuel consumption and receive advice on how to improve their fuel economy.  The system also constantly monitors the car's technical status and remind drivers of any maintenance or servicing requirements.The French newcomer ditches the quirky design of the current car, including the fix-centre steering wheel, opting for a more conventional look and a more upmarket cabin.  The hatch is 50mm longer, 20mm wider and 30mm taller than the current car and will be available in Europe with a range of new micro-hybrid e-HDI engines.These have the latest generation stop/start ignitions and C02 emissions as low as 109g/km.  Michelin Energy Saver tyres are also specified to help achieve these low emissions and to boost fuel economy.The latest C4 gains a 408-litre boot, which Citroen says is the biggest in its class, with square dimensions and a lower sill to make loading even easier.  The C4 also uses 15 per cent green materials to enhance its environmental credentials.The hatch will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September and is expected on sale here next year.

Just a brief look into any junior sports club shows fewer people now do more to keep such clubs and teams afloat.

The latest version of the trendy seven-seater comes with claims of benchmark fuel economy and emissions, although there is an extra $1000 on the bottom line.  The 2010 version of the C4 Picasso is fitted with an 100 kiloWatt turbodiesel engine and six-speed EGS transmission with fuel economy of 5.0 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of just 153 grams/kilometre.The price rise takes it to $45,990, although this still compares relatively well to a starting price of $39,390 for the Kia Grand Carnival, $44,950 for the Mitsubishi Grandis and $50,990 for the Toyota Tarago."When we launched the Citroen C4 Picasso we said that it is truly the family car for the 21st century,"” says Miles Williams, general manager of Citroen in Australia.  With the 2010 version, this position is reconfirmed, thanks to its enhanced emissions and fuel consumption reduction."The Picasso arrived in Australia with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, but petrol power disappeared more than 18 months ago after poor sales.  Stocks of the seven-seater have been low since October last year, the time of the 2010 model change in France, but are now getting back to normal.Williams says the efficiency push comes because of European taxes on CO2 outputs, with the critical limit at 160 grams/kilometre. In the UK alone, 60 per cent of Picassos are used as company cars and its 153 CO2 figure gives an advantage in both road and company car taxes.  The 2010 Picasso has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating including ESP stability control and anti-skid brakes.

A Mustang is a wild brumby in the USA but also one of the all-time best muscle cars; the LandCruiser does just what the name says, even if the land is the worst of the Australian outback; and the Enzo is a tribute to the man who founded the world's best-know supercar company, Ferrari.But the name game can go badly wrong.  The Nissan Cedric was never going to be a hit in Australia with a name that creates a picture of an aging uncle Arthur in a cardigan, Taurus is tough in the USA but was always going to flop against the Falcon, and the Skoda Roomster has just been dumped after failing to find a home down under.Holden was careful to avoid the VD in its Commodore line, but why did it start with the VB and not the VA? And what about the Statesman, which went well as the WB but was never updated into the WC?  Just this week I was following a Citroen Jumpy delivery fan in Portugal, and wondering if the name was a reflection of the driver's behaviour or the way it runs on the road.The craziness goes on and on, like the Citroen Picasso people mover which is anything but an oil painting.  Today's showrooms also have cars whose names have more numbers and letters than a cryptic crossword, with just as much meaning. Who really knows the difference between an A7 and a C350?But head back in history and there are some absolute clangers.  Henry Ford named the 1950s Edsel after his son, but is now recorded as one of the biggest flops in blue-oval history.  Japan has given us everything from the Daihatsu Rocky and Rugger to the Honda Ascot and Acty Crawler and on through the Isuzu Big Horn to the Subaru Justy.Nissan created the Tiida name from nothing, even though it claims it has something to do with waves breaking on a beach, and Lexus is even a made-up brand name, in contrast to Mercedes which was named after an early Daimler customer's daughter.  Over in America, the AMC Gremlin was a flop, the Dodge Neon never went up in lights, Plymouth Reliant never lived up to its promise, and the Lincoln Town Car was so big it needed its own postcode.Even some of the names which have worked create more questions than answers about their creation.  The Kia Mentor is more likely to need one, the Honda Jazz is not much of a music machine and the Suzuki Cappucino was too frothy to sell in Australia.Some names also paint a picture because of their history.  Mention Celica and lots of people in Australia think hairdresser.  Ask about the Nissan GT-R and you'll hear about Godzilla.Camry is shorthand for fridge-on-wheels, Kingswood is classic sixties kitsch, and then there is the Goggomobil.  So, what's causing a Rukus today? The Toyota Rukus, for a start.We could also get the Nissan Cube, which is as boxy as its name, although Nissan Australia is also pushing for a return of the Pulsar badge which worked so well before the silly switch to Tiida.  Right now we have the Skoda Superb in Australian showrooms. If that's not a name which creates a serious expectation then we don't know our Falcodores.When Toyota was looking for a new name for a mid-sized car alongside the Camry it thought it had the ideal choice. It settled on Centaur - the mythical man-horse - because it sounded tough.  But no-one at Toyota Australia had taken into account a nasty incident in World War II during the battle for the Pacific.A hospital ship called the Centaur was sailing towards Brisbane when it was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. The idea of a Toyota Centaur sunk even faster.  The Centaur badges were crushed, all the paperwork was changed and so was the advertising. The Centaur quickly became the Avalon for Australia.  How do we know? Carsguide made the call to Toyota to warn about the problem. Japanese cars have always led the way in the silly-names race.  How about the Mazda Bongy Brawny? No, not the name for an off-road tough SUV, it was the badge on the back of a city delivery van with a 1.3-litre engine.Everyone has heard the story about the Mitsubishi Starion, and whether the company's sales team actually meant to call the turbo coupe the Stallion.  And then there is the Pajero. It's called the Montero in Spain, because Pajero is the word for something usually done alone in private.

But peak motoring body the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries believes consumers are confused enough to warrant a broad-ranging education program about what ESC is and what it does.The Transport Accident Commission has already been running an ad highlighting the merits of curtain airbags and ESC. It has been endeavouring to lift awareness among buyers about what they do, via websites like howsafeisyourcar.com.au.But with Victoria moving ahead for the compulsory fitting of ESC to all passenger cars from January, the FCAI believes now is the time to increase awareness among car buyers.Despite TAC's efforts some carmakers like Honda believe consumers are still confused by the different acronyms used to describe the various systems. However, FCAI spokesman, James Goodwin, believes it will be difficult to mandate a single naming strategy."It comes down to marketing," he says. "All systems are different to some degree."Goodwin also believes it would cost too much to standardise the terminology on imported cars because the volumes are relatively small. Carmakers use different terms for the proprietary electronic stability program invented by Bosch and co-developed with Mercedes-Benz.Subaru Australia spokesman, David Rowley, says Subaru's own research shows a higher awareness among buyers of its own electronic stability control system, called vehicle dynamic control."Our customers tend to look in depth at the features of our cars," Rowley says. He backs an education program as “something worth considering" but balks at a name change. "A lot a brands have invested a lot of intellectual time in creating a point of difference with their various stability systems," he says.What they call it -Electronic Stability Control (ESC) - Holden, HSV, JeepElectronic Stability Program (ESP) - Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes Benz, Renault, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, Skoda, Peugeot, SuzukiDynamic Stability Control (DSC) - Ford, FPV, BMW, Mazda, Land Rover, Aston Martin, JaguarVehicle Dynamic Integrated Management (VDIM) - ToyotaVehicle Stability Control (VSC) - LexusVehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) - Nissan, SubaruDynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) - VolvoElectronic Stabilisation Program (ESP) - Audi, VolkswagenActive Stability Control (ASC) - MitsubishiVehicle Stability Assist (VSA)- HondaAutomatic Stability Control + Traction (ASC+T)  MiniMaserati Stability Program (MSP) - MaseratiPorsche Stability Management (PSM) - PorscheStability and Traction Control - FiatStabiliTrak -Hummer