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PSA Citroen announces joint venture with Changan Automobiles

July 11, 2010 at 11:44 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, ChangAn, Citroën, International News

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Changan Automobiles have announced the finalization of a 50-50 JV in China, financed by an initial investment of 8.4 billion Yuan (RM4 billion).. First on their list is the introduction of the C3-based DS3 line up. The first vehicle is set to be launched in the second half of 2012.

The tie up will see the development of cars and light commercial vehicles with an initial annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles and engines at Shenzhen. The new factory will be running two lines, which will include the renovation of an existing production line and the addition of a second line. There are also plans for a new R&D centre to be built.

Apart from this new joint venture, PSA has a partnership with Dongfeng Motor Group Co to build Peugeot cars such as Peugeot 408 (which is somewhat like a 308 Sedan) and also Citroen C5 sedans. It looks like the rest of the Citroen line-up will be taken care by the Changan JV.

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Citroen adding WiFi connectivity to their cars

July 11, 2010 at 11:25 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Citroën, International News

Citroen have announced that they will make on board WiFi access available on most of their model line-up, which will include the new C3, C3 Picasso, C4, C4 Picasso, C5, C6 and DS3 models. The way it works is with the use of a 3G WiFi router much like a MiFi device which will act as a modem/router. It creates a wireless network within the vehicle when used with a 3G SIM card. This allows access to the internet using devices such as laptops, mobile phones and portable games consoles.

If by any chance you wish to take your vehicle abroad, the system deactivates itself avoiding expensive data costs. Citroen will charge you £545 for the pleasure of the internet in your car. With this move, Citroen joins the ranks of various other car makers which are offering MiFi-like devices in their cars such as Audi, GM and Chrysler. BMW’s iDrive also has the ability to use a SIM card to access data services however you can only use it with iDrive and not any external third party device.

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VIDEO: Citroen Survolt electric supercar concept

July 8, 2010 at 10:05 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Citroën, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

Citroen has revealed information and a teaser video of the electric concept Survolt ahead of the car’s debut at the Le Mans Classic on July 10th.

The car is motivated by two electric motors powered by twin 31kW lithium-ion batteries that produce a combined 300hp. This propels the electric sports car to the century mark in less than five seconds and goes on to reach a top speed of 260km/h. Driving range for this car will be 200 kilometres on a single charge while the batteries can either be replenished using a standard 220 volt outlet in 10 hours or with a rapid charger in 2 hours.

A car that combines economical driving and sporting performance, the car features a tubular chassis, flat underside with an extractor and full carbon bodywork. This gives the Survolt a kerb weight of just 1.15 tonnes and compact dimensions of 3.85m long, 1.87m wide and 1.2m high.

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Citroen DS3 R3 rally car for FIA Group R3T regulations

July 3, 2010 at 2:20 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Citroën, Motorsports

This is the new Citroen DS3 R3, built to the FIA’s new Group R3T regulations. It features he same structural design and appearance as the production model, with the production steel body shell reinforced by a welded, multi-point roll cage.

The engine is the BMW PSA Prince 1.6 litre THP engine modified with uprated parts such as a racing air box, cams, pistons, conrods, exhaust system, turbo and ECU, helping boost power up to 210hp (with 350Nm torque) from the usual 156hp to 175hp range found in the production cars. The oil sump has been modified and fitted with a composite partiten to both increase ground clearance and avoid oil surges during long corners.

The engine is mated to a 6-speed sequential racing gearbox with paddle shifts, the same model in the C4 WRC. A clutch is still present but is only required to start from standstill – afterwards its just flicking the pedal forward to downshift and pull them back to upshift.

The car will be sold by Citroën Racing in kit and ready-to-race versions, so privateer teams can start buying it. The base car is a DS3 THP 150 and there’s a whole new list of 500 new parts required to turn it into the DS3 R3 – you can find this list after the jump.
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Valeo introduces stop-start system that works while car is still in motion

June 18, 2010 at 3:44 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Citroën, International News, Peugeot, Technology

The use of start-stop technology is now available with most new cars and is a prerequisite on eco-friendly models. These systems are occasionally called “micro hybrids” due to their minor fuel saving capabilities. Valeo, one of the companies producing this system, has announced that they will be fitting their second generation start stop technology in PSA Peugeot Citroen group cars by the third quarter of 2010.

This new system is branded “i-StARS” and can be fitted on both auto and manual transmissions. Unlike previous versions of the start-stop system, the system can now cut off the engine even before the vehicle comes to a complete stop, so you can coast to a stand still in silence without burning any fuel. The maximum speed for the system to kick in is anything below 8km/h for auto transmissions and below 20km/h for manual transmissions.

Apart from that, engine re-starts are supposedly “noiseless and with no vibrations” and are effortlessly done in 400 milliseconds. This naturally increases fuel efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 15 per cent in heavy traffic.

Making it more flexible in its application within different car models, Valeo will offer i-StARS in two variants which would either be the starter-alternator or reinforced starter-based system. This strategy has secured them orders from 10 automakers to fit it within 50 vehicle models.

Valeo plan to fit 1 million Citroen and Peugeot vehicles with their technology by 2013, so don’t be surprised to see the technology in your new Peugeot sometime soon.

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PSA Peugeot Citroen may rebadge new Mitsubishi 1.0L to 1.3L compact car

June 6, 2010 at 4:42 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Citroën, International News, Mitsubishi, Peugeot


Mitsubishi Outlander

Apparently Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroen are working again on another project together, this time to produce compact cars with engines of between 1.0 litre to 1.3 litre capacity. An agreement is said to be announced by the end of this year.

Apparently Mitsubishi will start making this new compact car in Thailand by the end of Q1 2012, likely under Thailand’s eco car incentive program. Production will then expand to China, India and Brazil, which are widely hailed as new fast growing emerging markets that will save the bottom line for many fat auto manufacturers while they continue to trim their operations. The European markets are where PSA will come in – they will likely be sold as Peugeots and Citroens there.

Peugeot 4007
Peugeot’s rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander

Are we looking at a new Colt which will then be rebadged under the Peugeot and Citroen brands? The Japanese and French companies already have existing partnerships based on the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV and the Mitsubishi i MiEV electric car, both of which are rebadged and restyled into Peugeot and Citroen counterparts for the European market.

PSA’s relationship with Mitsubishi falls under the supervision of newel appointed Head of Asian Operations Gregoire Olivier. A big part of Olivier’s job will be to help the company shift the focus of its business away from Europe. He will also take care of the South East Asian market. PSA Peugeot Citroen is generally said to be over-reliant on the European market, where it sells about two thirds of its cars. Europe is already pretty much mature, however most of PSA’s products are tailored for the European market, where sales volumes aren’t expected to increase anytime soon.


Citroen’s rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander

PSA Peugeot Citroen has to develop strong products for emerging markets in order to increase its volume and using Mitsubishi’s “Asianised” products are a good stop gap measure to get a good emerging market vehicle to sell quick without incurring high development costs of developing these products by itself. An example of a Peugeot product that it developed for the Asian market recently is the Peugeot 408, which is a lengthened sedan version of the 308 that was unveiled in China recently.

Other than the car deals with Mitsubishi, PSA also cooperates with BMW and Ford for its petrol and diesel engines respectively, and with Fiat SpA for commercial vans and Toyota for the French versions of the Toyota Aygo. Rebadging to save development costs is happening all over the world and we shouldn’t take Proton rebadging a Mitsubishi product for a Waja replacement too negatively as it will help free up development funds for other segments with higher volumes.

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2011 Citroen C4 unveiled – details and photos

June 2, 2010 at 12:20 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Citroën, International News

We’re sort of between the major motorshows here so it feels like we haven’t seen a news release for a major mainstream car for a very long time. Citroën have released details of the 2011 C4 that will be displayed at the Paris Motor Show this year.

As you can see, similar design cues have been taken from the new retro-futuristic C3 that strikes an impression of strength, stability and balanced proportions. New additions include a front and rear spoiler, chrome detailing, headlights and alloy wheels that give it a special French flair.

Inside more space has been created with the new C4 being 5cm longer, 2cm wider and 3cm taller than the previous model. It also has a 408-litre boot space which may be the biggest boot space in its class. Customisation of the internal displays such as the colour of the drivers instrument displays, a choice of polyphonic sound alerts and adjusting the intensity of the air-conditioning unit are also available. Depending on the model there may even be a massage function on the front seat.

Added features on the new C4 also include blind-spot monitoring system, a cornering light function, cruise control and speed-limiter with road speed memory settings. Apart from that a new service called eTouch is on offer. This system lets you monitor your driving patterns and how it effects things like fuel efficiency and even provides you with advice on how to improve fuel economy. This system also informs you of the vehicle’s technical status and service requirements.

Citroën have announced that it will include their new micro-hybrid e-HDi powertrains which feature Start-stop technology along with Michelin Energy™ Saver tyres. This helps achieve an incredible 109g/km at launch, while future models will eventually only produce 99g/km. They have also used 15 percent green materials which is recycled polyamide components.

Unfortunately this is all that Citroen has said about the new C4′s engine offerings at the moment, but you can probably expect a similiar mix to that found in the Peugeot 308.

Click below for a hi-res picture gallery and a video of the new C4.
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Citroën DS3 roof and dashboard design competition

May 13, 2010 at 4:50 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Citroën, International News

Citroën’s DS3, the “anti-retro” rival to BMW’s MINI, was conceived as a customisable small car where unique colours and trims can be specified in (dashboard, seat, key fob) and out (floating roof, wing mirrors, rubbing strips, wheels) for each car to have its own personality. The offbeat French brand is taking this a step further; instead of just colours, future DS3 buyers will be able to choose from various motifs.

With that in mind, Citroën has launched an international design competition, inviting aspiring designers (or anyone for that matter) to customise the DS3′s roof and dashboard. In addition to a 5,000 euro cash prize, the winning design will be presented at Citroën’s international showcase on Champs Elysees, the C_42, in October this year to mark the start of the Paris Motor Show. As an ultimate reward, the design will be put into production, available in 2011 as part of a special DS3 collection.

A series of video briefs will be available on www.citroencreativeawards.com to give you an idea of what they’re looking for. ‘Daring’ and ‘professionalism’ are the watchwords of the jury, which will include senior representatives from GQ, the Cartier Foundation and Louis Vuitton. Last date of submission is 4 July.

Click here to view images of the DS3 Racing that was unveiled at Geneva for some inspiration.

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GALLERY: Haunting images of the Citroën Metropolis

May 3, 2010 at 1:03 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Citroën, Concept Cars, International News

This is the Citroën Metropolis concept car, which shows off the French brand’s typical wackiness on a long limo body. To make its debut at the World Expo in Shanghai, the Metropolis was created by PSA’s Shanghai design studio as a “homage to China’s extraordinary development” and is meant to convey the country’s “avantgarde status, grandeur and vitality”.

The imposing 5.3 m long/2.0 m wide limo is a plug in hybrid powered by an electric motor and a 2.0-litre V6 petrol engine. Combined, 460 bhp and 430 Nm of torque is channeled to all wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

This latest gallery after the jump is as dramatic as the car itself. For more about the Metropolis, see our previous post here.
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PSA Peugeot Citroen to rebadge Mitsubishi ASX

April 27, 2010 at 6:01 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Citroën, International News, Mitsubishi, Peugeot

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi have announced that the Mitsubishi ASX (called RVR in Japan) will be built for PSA Peugeot Citroen. This comes as no surprise considering how many other “rebadge” deals PSA and Mitsubishi have been having in the past – the Outlander rebadged as the 4007 and C-Crosser as well as the i-MiEV rebadged as the Peugeot iOn and the Citroen C-zero.

The Peugeot and Citroen versions of the Mitsubishi ASX will have their own styling, much like what they did for the Outlander project. PSA Peugeot Citroen will be using its own 1.6 litre HDi turbodiesel for its versions of the ASX. They are targetting a fuel consumption of 4.7 litres per 100km for the two wheel drive version. An all-wheel drive version will also be available.

Look after the jump for pictures of the original RVR. The two photos you see above are Theophilus Chin‘s impressions of what Peugeot and Citroen versions of the RVR/ASX might look like.
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