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Citroen C-Cactus Concept

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This strange concept car is not as strange as it’s name – the Citroen C-Cactus Concept. It’s powered by a Hybrid HDi powertrain – that’s a PSA Peugeot Citroen technology that uses a 70hp HDi diesel engine with DPFS mated to a 30hp electric motor installed in the clutch housing. The hybrid system also has a Zero Emissions Vehicle mode that runs on the electric motor only.

The Citroen C-Cactus Concept is built on the Citroen C4’s platform. It was built according to the following values – essential, intelligent and ecologically aware. It only weighs 1,306kg which is not too heavy by today’s standards, but what’s interesting is the way Citroen engineers built it.

They’ve simplified the number of parts and mechanisms in the car to an extreme, grouped several functions in a single part, and removed all parts that are non-essential to the running of the car, or to the comfort and well-being of it’s passengers. Yes, this is done to the extent that there is no dashboard – all functions are integrated onto the fixed hub steering wheel, like indicators, lights, wipers, horn and cruise control, tachometer, headlamp controls and warning signals.

Even the doors have been simplified to the extent that power windows or even traditional windows that go down and up are not used, instead there is a simple sliding mechanism. The door panels are made of two parts, compared to twelve in a conventional hatchback door. The seats are also only made of two parts – the foam, and the frame inclusive of rails that fixes to the car.

More images after the jump.

33 Comments »

  1. NiceCar said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 7:47 am

    this car more alike the mask rider car!!!
    it is an art..

    look forward the peugeot brother car..

  2. razor_clawzz said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 8:06 am

    ALAMAK! The front looks like one of thos comic characters in a Malay comic..lubang hidung besar ~

  3. wildthingz said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 8:20 am

    nice cute car but it not be sell at malaysia u know why cause its big nose macam itu kinzir hahahahahhahaha just kidding i’ll buy one if it really produce but change that lubang hidung besar hahahahahha

  4. alpha0201 said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 8:43 am

    Wow a hip(popotamus) car…

  5. PTAllTheBest said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 8:48 am

    looks like a toy car.
    or maybe next gen car?

  6. acbc said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 9:24 am

    Oink! Oink! Here comes piggy… :)

  7. pekan said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 9:32 am

    Odd conversations

    Scene 1
    A : “What do you drive to work?”

    B : “A cactus”

    Scene 2
    “My father drove a cactus to work”

  8. Capt Shopalot said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 9:35 am

    So out of thye world, yet such a make-a-statement car

  9. izaman said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 9:56 am

    #
    razor_clawzz said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 8:06 am

    ALAMAK! The front looks like one of thos comic characters in a Malay comic..lubang hidung besar ~

    If i’m not mistaken, it is “Gundala” from Ujang. The trademark phrase of the comic, “Kill kill, die die….maké budok”

  10. corolla_KE70 said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 10:44 am

    oh my God.. what a nose….

  11. legacy88 said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 12:07 pm

    Organic shape and design, but very ugly to look at.

  12. e-nabilll said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 12:35 pm

    the front looks like its saying a big F*** You !! wat on earth is that?! bt luv those rims!

  13. szw said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 1:39 pm

    ugly !

  14. wong said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 1:54 pm

    citroen’s another weird looking creature,but they survived

  15. blazerSST said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 2:03 pm

    The rims are sick

  16. ezralimm said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 2:10 pm

    too flashy.

    If the production model comes out as collourful as this, i’d bet we’d be seeing it in toys’r'us sometime soon.

  17. kei9 said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 2:22 pm

    haha…missing tusks……*hippo* its sholud be called dat instead of cactus..haha :D

  18. transformer said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 3:04 pm

    should named it as TMNT!

  19. lowprofile said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 3:06 pm

    hippo it is!! i think citroen should re-name it hippo as most of us here would probably that it really looks like one! hmmm, wonder if they’ll do a poll on the car’s name.

  20. acwa238 said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 6:31 pm

    The interior is very interesting, especially without the dash board. Just makes sense, make you feel like a passenger instead of a driver. The exterior needs to be rework though but for the interior, i like it. Without the dashboard is a main factor.

  21. rugaxp said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 8:09 pm

    a weird funky car i should say hahahaa..so cute yet so weird

  22. mzfnd said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 10:22 pm

    Goodness me. That’s a funky car alright. I’ve always been positive about mini hybrid cars. But, this one… you better have an attitude to drive a thing like this.

    The simplified interior is a good idea if it means lower price. But taking out the dashboard is too much.

    But err.. do you have to abide by the speed limits if there’s no speedometer?

  23. proton.GL.. said,

    September 4, 2007 @ 10:58 pm

    exterior could be a bit angular suitable for little lamborghini, (2 nose good for bull image icon for lamborghini)

  24. DtG said,

    September 5, 2007 @ 12:15 am

    Despite being extremely weird, the cool thing is the name matches well with the way it looks… i don’t think any name is more suitable than cactus for this odd but artsy car…

  25. kingcharles said,

    September 5, 2007 @ 12:21 am

    maybe have to wait until our gand2 son to accept it! Poor design!!

  26. mofo said,

    September 5, 2007 @ 1:57 am

    Impressive ! Nice one although design look abit weird, still acceptable.

    Interior clean and neat from every aspects. Envorimental friendly too, not really that bad. It might not powerful enough to Zig Zag on road, but i could travel in style with this “mini”.

  27. Charger said,

    September 5, 2007 @ 11:34 am

    WTF was that!?!?

    And WTF with the wide angle lens use????

  28. mitlanevo said,

    September 5, 2007 @ 3:39 pm

    DNA of Cayenne + DNA of Mini Cooper + DNA of a few crazy designers + DNA of a hippo = ???

  29. intermilan said,

    September 5, 2007 @ 4:33 pm

    citroen doing a ‘citroen’…. hanya jauhari yg kenal manikam…

  30. nobodyatuk said,

    September 5, 2007 @ 4:50 pm

    This is one very succesfull concept car. It has triggered a lot of comments, some like it and some don’t. I think its fit to be transform into a rally car. The overall design – from the large front air intake, high mounted tail light, large tyres and the spacious interior for roll cage and spare tyres, I bet this car will be the car to chase in the next Paris-Dakkar.

  31. topgunthang said,

    September 6, 2007 @ 12:10 am

    nice rocket launchers up front

  32. aesthari said,

    September 6, 2007 @ 9:21 am

    Haha, it’s cute and unique, not anywhere near pretty though. Why, Citroen, why a pig?????? Gotta love those rims, looks so alien! That coupled with the Michelins with white wordings = winning combination.

    topgunthang:

    Yea, I think Citroen might add rockets so the Cactus can shoot slow cars up front :p

  33. JULIANLEE2 said,

    September 7, 2007 @ 7:09 pm

    it should have the cactus thorns

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