Citroen News

Sales have dropped, so to help stave off a major slump in volume, the company has a revamped C4 coming into showrooms.Citroen Australia general manager Miles Williams says the company is aiming at 2500 cars this year, down from the 2703 tally last year and a level not seen since 2004."Things are tough, we're finding the market extremely hard, our objective is to get 2500 cars this year,” he says."We're hoping that the doom will lift and our sales will lift with it, but probably not for 12 months or so, business is hard," he said.Williams says the company was focussing on volume cars - the C3, and the updated C4, as well as the medium-sized C5, which had suffered from being launched in the middle of the crisis at a low exchange rate."We'd love to see it go a little harder and it's a stunning car that deserves better - but we had to put the price up $3000 before we launched it so that's making it hard for the car to compete," he says.The brand has a good model range in Australia and Mr Williams said the brand would ramp up its marketing from June to back up the new C4 and Berlingo models.Williams believes the market will be tough well into 2010."I think we've probably got the better part of 12 months, to June next year before we start seeing buyers feeling more confident."Having said that there's 800,000 probably going to be sold here this year, that's still a lot of cars - it's a competitive market and we'll fight and grab what share we can," he says.The bulk of the new C4 range has gone up by $1000 due to currency changes, with the exception of the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol model, which is priced identically to the two-litre model it replaces."We're going to be out there competing and give it our best shot, the aggressiveness in the marketplace is unbelievable," Williams says.The updated C4 has a new-look grille covering the two new petrol powerplants - shared with co-developer BMW - which boast better outputs and lower fuel consumption and emissions.The C4's tachometer has been moved to the central LCD display as part of the cabin's makeover, as well as Citroen's NaviDrive satnav system being added to the options list.The sound system has been upgraded to include a built-in 30GB hard drive and the system also offers a video auxiliary socket and a USB connection.The C4 is now available with two new petrol engines - the 88kW 1.6-litre 16-valve powerplant and the 1.6-litre 16-valve turbocharged unit in 103kW and 110kW variants.The new C4 range is priced from $26,990 for the VTi five-speed manual, or $28,990 for the four-speed automatic versions, while the same trim and equipment level with the 1.6 HDi diesel engine and the EGS six speed automated manual is $31,990, or $30,990 with a conventional five-speed manual.The new turbo 103kW 1.6 petrol model starts at $33,990 in Exclusive model trim with a standard automatic transmission and the high-pressure 110 kW 1.6 litre turbo performance model with a five-speed manual gearbox is priced from $31,990.

Million dollar extravagance alongside budget buggies, runaway horsepower side-by-side with eco warriors. Its the eclectic mix that makes the Geneva one of the most anticipated events on the annual motor show circuit.As major car manufacturers battle for survival in the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, its all spit, polish and business as usual inside the Palexpo complex in the world's banking capital.Bentley, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and Maybach spruiked their million-dollar babies alongside a tiny Smart, Chrysler's European debut for its vision of an electric future and a full range of real-world hybrid and dual-fuel models.There were the wild and wacky concepts — fewer than in the halcyon days, an acknowledgement that times are tough — and a mix of models that will grace showrooms in the coming year.Also fighting for attention were the usual array of specialists like Brabus, Startech and Zagato adding even greater gloss and performance to mainstream models as well as tiny Euro operations producing outlandish stars of their own imagining — badges such as Sbarro, Gumpert, Spyker and Koenigsegg.So, what were the stars of the 2009 Geneva Show?Ask a hundred people and you will probably get 100 different answers, but from a purely personal point of view here is one version of a Top 10. Citroen DS Inside Concept: A concept in name only, the little Mini rival will spearhead Citroen's new DS naming convention when it launches next year. Sleek, stylish and boasting a hybrid-diesel powertrain, the DS (the manufacturer says that stands for different spirit) caught the eye and the imagination with emotional, if not styling, hints of the truly radical DS on the 1950s.Hyundai ix-onic concept: Gone are the days when you looked on a Korean concept with a sense of synmpathy. While the ix-onic is clearly an exaggeration of the marques next SUV generation there is enough about it to whet the appetite. As important as the styling is the news that the ix-onic carries DSG gearbox and stop/start eco-technology. Look for for it all in the next generation of Tucson compact SUV next year.Pagani Zonda Cinque: A personal favourite. Not so much a car as a piece of very, very fast art. The latest offering from designer Horatio Pagani uses the company's own bespoke carbon-titanium material to shape a truly gorgeous body — and it goes. Zero to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and back to zero in 2.1. Enough sauid. Chevrolet Spark: Far more super-realistic than super-car, the little Spark is none-the-less an excellent example of its kind. Developed from the General Motors Beat concept shown in New York two years ago, the Spark is a bright rendition of a city car which, despite its name, is not electric nor even hybrid. On sale in Europe this year, don't be surprised if it comes under serious consideration for life with a Holden badge.Mercedes E-Class Coupe: The outstanding model from the new E-Class range. While the sedan version of the new generation E-Class had been seen in Detroit in January this was the Coupe's first outing — and well worth the wait. A really pretty rendition of a true coupe style.Audi TT RS: There was no shortage of new Audis in Geneva with the A5 and S5 Cabriolets on show but they were put in the shade by this hot version of the cool TT. What really sets this one apart is the use of a rorty 5-cylinder engine which is a hint to a wider future use of the powerplant behind the four-rings badge.Maybach Zeppelin: Outrageous, outlandish and unapologetically designed to shout "look what I've got that you don't", the latest Maybach earns its spot in the top 10 for offering a stone interior as an option. The high-tech process for bending Indian granite around complex surfaces is more Jetsons than Flintstones and about as left-field as anything seen in a production car. Aston Martin One-77: Another conspicuous statement of wealth, this super-exclusive super-car — only 77 are being made — exudes power and style. Everything about this car is special, right through to the unique 7.3-litre V12 massaged out of the company's standard 6.0-litre unit by Cosworth. It is believed at least one of these beauties is heading for Australia.Jaguar XFR: It has been a little while coming but Jaguar has put some real bite into its award-winning XF range with the arrival of the high-performance R version. Without over-burdoning the car with fancy, garish aero bits there is little doubt the XFR looks the biz. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 under the bonnet doesn't hurt, either. Fiat 500C convertible: Not really a convertible in the contempory sense of the word, this latest rendition of the insufferably cute Fiat 500 is a must-have fashion accessory. The rollback sot top is true to the style of the original 1950s car with the centre of the roof rolling back to open the passengers to the skies without the complicated engineering of removing roof rails or C-pillars.

Starting with a revamped logo from this week to update its identity, the French auto firm promises and extra range of new models using its famous DS prefix, new customer service standards and eventually a new showroom look at its dealers.The major revamp includes its advertising theme that now will carry the baseline Creative Technologie.Also, starting with the Cyprus Rally four weeks from now, Citroen Sport will change its name to Citroen Racing. The outfit is the dominant team in the World Rally Championship, thanks to reigning champions Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena, who already have won the first two rounds of the 2009 WRC in their Citroen C4.The team's new name of Citroen Racing is to promote the "speed, vitality and impetus" of car rallies, the carmaker says.For its road car line-up Citroen says at present it has the largest and most diverse range in its 90-year history. But over the coming three years it will launch six new models in Europe, and time will tell how many of those come to Australia.In Australia, Citroen offers a six-model range now. Not many car brands span a market from $16,490 to $108,750. The Citroen Berlingo light van is from $16,490 and the Dispatch van from $34,990. The C3 car is from $19,990, the C4 from $25,990, the C5 saloon from $51,990 and the luxury C6 tops the range at $108,750 in Australia.But just as the mainstream car models have the C prefix, and extra tier of new models will use the DS prefix from decades ago. The first idea of the new DS is the DS Inside concept car and its expected new models will be called DS3, DS4 and DS5. 

The Corvette Stingray will feature among several other General Motors products in the sequel to the 2007 action movie Transformers to be released here in June (see trailer video at end of story).The Stingray concept has been tipped as the shape of the next-generation C7 Corvette with wide shoulders, four tailpipes, vertical headlights and sculpted fenders.However, GM is tight-lipped about it going into production as a Stingray or the C7.GM Global Design vice-president Ed Welburn said the idea of the Stingray Concept was to incorporate past design cues in a futuristic shape."By giving my creative team the freedom to design no-holds-barred vision concepts, it helps them push boundaries and look at projects from different perspectives," he said.The car plays the character Sideswipe in the movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.In the original cartoon, Sideswipe was one of the original crew members of the ARK, although it was a red Lamborghini.GM has had the exclusive contract to provide cars for both the original movie and the sequel. GM cars in the sequel include the Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car, Camaro production muscle car due here in 2012 and the Beat and Trax subcompact concept cars which are intended to go into production.Chevrolet North America vice president Ed Peper said the first Transformers movie helped GM reach younger car buyers in the 18 to 34 age group."Chevrolet is thrilled to again be part of one of the most anticipated movies in years," he said."Transformers gives us a great opportunity to connect with young people on their terms, with a dynamic, environmentally friendly image."The new characters represent the change going on in Chevy showrooms. From the exciting Camaro, the 21st century sports car, to the game-changing Volt, there's more than meets the eye at Chevrolet today."Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, is about humans caught in an intergalactic war between armies of giant robots that can change into cars, planes and other technological creations.Stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox return as Sam and Mikaela, who know the secrets of the heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime.In the sequel, they are under attack by the evil Decepticons because of something Sam has learned about the origins of the Transformers and their ancient history on Earth.The US Department of Defense gave its official stamp of approval to the Michael Bay-directed film, in the hope it would lead to recruitment interest.Movies such as Top Gun, regarded as a major boost for recruitment in its day, and the recent Robert Downey Jr. blockbuster Iron Man also received military cooperation for the same reason.US military, some just returned form active duty in Iraq, were involved in the massive battle scenes for the movie.The film crew was allowed on the dunes of the Army's New Mexico missile range and to follow jets and fighter planes through the sky from nearby Holloman Air Force Base.More scenes were shot on the Navy's aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, and Marines fill the ranks of the strike team battling the invading Transformers.The film's Army liaison, Lt. Col. Gregory Bishop, said: "As far as I know, this is the biggest joint military operation movie ever made, in terms of Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines. I can't think of one that's bigger."Military equipment used include two A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" tank-killing jets; six F-16 Fighting Falcons; 10 armoured Humvees; the Army's Golden Knights parachute team; two Abrams tanks; two Bradley tanks; two missile-launcher vehicles; two armoured personnel carriers; and a quarter-mile of the missile testing range, cleared of unexploded ordnance and built into an Egyptian town and temple. 

...to try and find the backing to re-launch his shattered career.Chris Atkinson was left without a drive when Subaru pulled out of the world series, but a promising fifth place in Rally Ireland — the first event of the 2009 season — has created a lifeline from Citroen.The French brand, which has dominated the WRC in recent seasons with five-time champion Sebastian Loeb, has a car for up to eight events this year if Atkinson can find some backing."I've got to find some sponsors. The more support I get the more events I can do," Atkinson told the Herald Sun yesterday."That's just the situation and the circumstances. It's frustrating and not a great situation to be in, but I think we offer a good opportunity to a sponsor. We have a blank car, a blank helmet, blank overalls and we offer a good return."But Atkinson is realistic and, despite ranking in the top six drivers in the world, knows he faces a tough time in 2009."At the moment I've got nothing. I've got nothing," he said."I'm just coming back home to work on some sponsorship deals. I've still got the base here."Ironically, Atkinson's Subaru setback comes at a time when he was finally getting paid to drive.He originally used backing from a small Australian consortium to buy a place in the British-based Subaru team, which was run by the same Prodrive motorsport empire which owns Ford Performance Racing in V8 Supercar racing. The pay-to-play gamble probably cost him millions and he was finally looking to cash-in after hitting the black-ink years in 2008.Atkinson made a strong impression on the Citroen team, running close to Loeb's times in Ireland, although two driving mistakes in icy and wet conditions, and an error in shutting the bonnet, cost him minutes and any chance of a podium place."I was happy with the performance. Ok, you can always do better, but in a rally like that to come away with a solid result and some good stage times was the most we could hope for," he said."It wasn't a normal event. It was more about survival and and to learn a new car in those conditions was tricky."Atkinson admitted the Citroen C4 was hard to drive, but he was happy that it responded to his tuning and rewarded his commitment with good stage times.But he has no idea if he will be back in the WRC, or when."People want us in the championship, which is amazing. But it's a little disappointing, after all the hard work we've done in the last few years."There are some opportunities, but not paid opportunities."And Atkinson admitted he is looking at the Group N showroom class, and even driving opportunities in Australia, while he waits to see what happens with the WRC."I've still got eight or 10 years in rallying, so one year isn't a disaster. You don't always have a smooth career. But I can't sit out of the game."I think would be nice to do some tarmac rallies in Australia, just for fun. At the moment I'm not signed to anyone. I'm a free agent and I can drive what I want." 

UPDATED - The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (shown here) set a new world record for a car sold at auction on the 17th May 2009. 0714TR reached 12 million dollars US at RM Auctions Leggenda e Passione Ferrari auction in Maranello.  For me it’s the car in the photo gallery on the right. However the judgement of the most authoritative list of automotive experts ever assembled to make such a decision voted the Citroen DS21 to be the car. This panel included Gioretto Giugaro, Marcello Gandini and Gordon Murray, three of the most respected names in the industry and themselves responsible for such legendary cars as the Lamborghini Countach, Lancia Startos and McLaren F1.This past weekend at the Paris Retromobile, a Citroen DS Chapron Convertible sold at by auction by Bonhams  for just under A$650,000. The Chapron Convertible is the rarest and even more beautiful version of the DS21.Personally while I greatly admire the DS, it does not make my top ten list, which comprises;1.    1957 Ferrari 250 TR2.    Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder3.    1963 Ferrari 250GTO4.    Ferrari 246GT5.    Lamborghini Muira6.    Ferrari P47.    Ferrari 206SP8.    Mercedes 300SLR Coupe9.    Maserati 5000GT by Touring10.  Jaguar E-Type S111.  Ferrari 365GTB/4 DaytonaGiven my long term fascination with everything Ferrari I am interested to see how the auction of 0714TR will fare at Ferrari Leggenda e Passione in  Maranello, on 17 May 2009. This is the car that can (and should) break the current world sale record of $10.8m (currently A$16.6m) for the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder (s/n 2377GT) set at last year’s Ferrari Leggenda e Passione on 18 May 2008.The 1957 Pontoon Fender 250TR is one of the true legends of the Ferrari marque and generally considered one of the most desirable models by Ferrari cognoscenti. This particular example is unique and beautifully restored in its original black color scheme. Delivered to Piero Drogo; himself a substantial character within the history of Ferrari and extensively campaigned in races North and South America this car has the potential even in the current economic climate to blow the current record away.We will update you with the result in May. Rod Halligan

  

This is one man’s vision of what you’d get if Picasso had been a car designer.Mad Brit … if that’s not a tautology … mechanic and customiser Andy Saunders has taken a perfectly innocent Citroen 2CV and turned it into something he calls `Picasso’s Citroen’.There are some who would argue the 2CV is enough of an oddity to start with.And of course there are also those who would argue that it’s already a work of art, and was the kicking off point for a stream of unparalleled Citroen design.But we know where most of you latter mob are, and it’s only a matter of time — and having enough white vans and looooong-armed jackets — until we round you all up and put you somewhere to protect what’s left of your sanity. And the safety of the gene pool.The bog standard 2CV was originally designed in the 1930s (although not made until the late 1940s) from a brief said to read something like “an umbrella on four wheels that would allow two peasants to drive 100kg of produce to market at 60km/h in clogs and across muddy dirt roads”.It sold its socks off during the next 30 years, during the post-war era when legislation dictated that the French to buy five per household, consume several kilos of cheese every day, look down their noses at the rest of the world and blow up surplus islands and yachts in Pacific waters.The car’s name is an acronym for `deux chevaux vapeur’ (two steam horses – giving an idea of what a powerhouse you could expect for your hard-earned francs) but it was given a parade of nicknames over time:And it continued to sell, despite quality plummeting and its red-faced makers trying to have it killed off on a regular basis.However, the 2CV’s popularity is often ascribed to it being given purely utilitarian lines that were later hailed as being the very essence of form following function and a triumph of minimalism.Now Saunders has taken its simple body and turned it into a nightmare of cubism, inspired by Picasso’s famous Portrait of Dora Maar – one of the legendary artist’s mistresses, who apparently entranced him with her aquiline nose and the two eyes skewed on one side of it.“I decided to try and blur the line between car design and art by using Picasso as an inspiration,” Saunders says.He worked for about six months in altering every panel on the car, moving them off kilter and skewing their relationship to each other. The boot and grille are now off centre, and the two headlights are – of course – sitting on one side.Amazingly, you can still drive it, but it’s deemed roadworthy only for daytime use because of the headlight arrangement.The car will be auctioned at the end of this month in Britain. 

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.  

A check of the NRMA's Petrol Watch website revealed the average price of petrol in Sydney this week was 164.1 cents a litre compared to diesel at 182.1 cents a litre 18c more.The thing is, even at this price a diesel vehicle is still going to be cheaper to run, at least in terms of the amount of fuel consumed.But most people only see the price and have difficulty grasping this fact.We had a look at the 12 fuel savers this week in the booming small car segment, comprising two hybrids and 10 diesels.We compared the fuel consumption of petrol models to that of the fuel-saving hybrid or diesel alternative, along with the difference in purchase price of the two.Our comparison shows the average fuel consumption of the petrol model followed by that of the diesel or hybrid, with the extra cost of purchase for the fuel saver shown in brackets.In the case of the Prius, which has no directly comparable model, we compared it to the most expensive Corolla, the Ultima sedan.The cheapest of the fuel savers is Hyundai i30 CRDi at $21,490, with the most expensive by far and away Toyota's much-vaunted Prius hybrid at $37,400.There's more to the story than just fuel economy as the initial cost of the car has to be taken into account as well as its resale value, which in the case of a diesel is going to be higher.For example, take Hyundai's i30, a car that comes in 2.0-litre petrol and 1.6-litre turbo diesel form, both with a five-speed manual gearbox.Both have a 53-litre tank but the petrol model uses 7.2 litres/100km compared to the diesel's 4.7 litres/100km.That makes the cost of filling up the petrol car $86.97 and the diesel, $96.51 $9.54 more.That's a significant difference and enough to put most people off.But here's the thing.Because the two cars consume fuel at a very different rate, the petrol model will, in fact, cost $11.81/100km to run, while the diesel one will set you back $8.55 a saving of $3.26/100km.Taking this argument a step further, diesel would have to hit 252.1 cents a litre before the two cars would start costing the same to run.Doubting Thomases will point to the difference in the cost of servicing the cars as well as the higher initial cost of buying a diesel vehicle.My mechanic reckons there's very little difference in the cost of servicing the two.But, in most cases, you'll certainly pay a premium of some kind for a hybrid or diesel vehicle at least $2500 more or, in the case of the Prius, $5410.Using the i30 as an example again, the SX petrol model is priced from $18,990 while the same model with a diesel engine is $21,490 a difference of $2500.With the cost of fuel at the current prices, that means you'd have to travel 76,000km before you'd recoup your initial outlay and start to reap the benefits of diesel's lower fuel consumption.Therein lies the rub because, for the majority of people, that's about when they'd begin thinking about getting rid of their car and updating to a new model. COMPARATIVE CONSUMPTION:extra cost of purchase in bracketsCitroen C4: 7.1 vs 4.7 litres/100km (+$4000)Dodge Caliber: 8.0 vs 6.1 litres/100km (+$4000)Fiat Ritmo: 7.1 vs 5.6 litres/100km (+$3500)Ford Focus: 7.1 vs 5.6 litres/100m (+$4000)Holden Astra: 7.8 vs 6.0 litres/100km (+$3000)Honda Civic: 7.2 vs 4.6 litres/100km (+$4000)Hyundai i30: 7.2 vs 4.7 litres/100km (+$2500)Mazda3: 8.6 vs 6.0 litres/100km (+$4000)Peugeot 308: 6.7 vs 4.9 litres/100km (+$4000)Renault Megane: 8.2 vs 5.8 litres/100km (+$3000)Toyota Prius (Corolla): 7.7 vs 4.4 litres/100km (+$5410)VW Golf: 7.5 vs 5.5 litres/100km (+$2500)