Citroën At The 2010 Geneva Motor Show

Vitality And Creativity, Environmental Policy And Services

2 March, 2010

Citroën is using the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show, which opens today (2 March 2010), to demonstrate its unique and vibrant design expertise with two new concept cars, Survolt and DS High Rider; to celebrate its motorsport success with the launch of the Citroën DS Racing; to reinforce its environmental credentials with C-Zero and the launch of innovative environmental equipment for its production cars; advance its safety reputation with eTouch to summon emergency services automatically and to demonstrate it advances in Telematics with WiFi on Board.

“This year’s Geneva Motor Show is a tour de force for Citroën,” says Lawrie Malatios, General Manager for Citroën in New Zealand. “Wherever visitors look on the stand there is a vigour and dynamism that demonstrates that Citroen has clear vision for its future, the role it will play in communities around the world and a determination to offer the best solutions to the 21st Century’s transport issues. And, being Citroën, they are being delivered in an exciting, involving and a fresh manner, be it a whole range of concept cars, new models such as the DS3 and C3 that will arrive in New Zealand later this year or advanced technology that will make motoring safer, cleaner and more enjoyable.”

 

Citroën’s Geneva Motor Show highlights include:

Following the launch of the DS3, Citroën is taking a new step in the rollout of its DS line with two concept cars: DS High Rider, hinting at a future DS line model, and the DS3 Racing, an ultra-sporty take on the DS3 from Citroën Racing.
Citroën’s long-standing commitment to the reduction of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is demonstrated at Geneva with the C3 Picasso e-HDi, boasting a range of innovative solutions such as Stop & Start, an automated gearbox, green materials and a roof fitted with photovoltaic cells, C-Zero, the brand’s second electric vehicle after Berlingo First, and Survolt, a paradigm-shifting concept car blending sport, sophistication and ecology.
The Marque is a step ahead on services with:

- eTouch, a service package including an emergency call and assistance service using an integrated SIM card, together with a virtual maintenance manual and an eco-driving service, available online,

- WiFi on Board, bringing passengers an in-car web connection to take full advantage out of travel times.

 

Citroën CONTINUES THE DS ADVENTURE

Citroën made a big splash in February 2009 when it announced a new line of distinctive products, the DS line. The new line-up heralded one of the facets of what is a true reinvention of the Marque, symbolised by its new tagline, Créative Technologie. Non-conformist and bold, the DS line embodies pleasure, refinement and the freedom of a new approach to car design. Following the launch of the DS3, Citroën is taking a new step forward with two concept cars, DS3 Racing and DS High Rider.

 

 

 

DS3 Racing: resolutely sporty

With five World Rally Championship Constructors’ titles for the Marque and six Drivers’ titles for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, Citroën has entered motor sport history. And the adventure continues with the DS3 Racing. The engineers at Citroën Racing, the Marque’s competition department, have taken the DS3 and fashioned it in their image.

The concept car has all the attributes of a full-blooded racer, including a carbon-finished exterior and interior and special equipment issuing from the world of motor sport. Citroën Racing boosted the power of its 1.6-litre engine to 200 bhp and did a high-precision job on developing the chassis and running gear. The engineers’ aim was to provide intense driving sensations and permanent dialogue between driver and road.

 

DS High Rider: dynamic, compact and exclusive

DS High Rider is a new step forward in the evocation of the future of the DS line. A modern vision of vitality, the founding value of which is compact design, it opens the way to new vehicle uses, new motoring pleasure and an innovative technological approach featuring a Full Hybrid 4 drivetrain.

Without reneging on conventional coupé appeal, Citroen has invented new ways of expressing motoring vitality with this concept car – new expressions that are less restrictive and exclusive and more adapted to today’s driving conditions, and at the same time distil a renewed sense of driving pleasure.

The Marque brings customers a broad range of vehicles with impressive environmental credentials. The most eco-efficient models carry Citroën’s environmental Airdream® signature.

 

C3 Picasso e-HDi: a new approach to sustainable development

Citroën is launching a new environmental signature, e-HDi, to be carried by range models fitted with innovative technologies including the new-generation micro-hybrid Stop & Start system. Bringing drivers total comfort in use, this technology recharges the battery when the car slows down or brakes, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The C3 Picasso e-HDi demonstration vehicle, powered by the 1.6 HDi engine, is equipped with this second-generation Stop & Start system, together with an automated manual gearbox. The demonstration vehicle also features the following leading-edge environmental technologies:

· A polycarbonate roof fitted with 70 160-W photovoltaic cells that recharge the battery, reducing the use of the alternator and thus saving on fuel.

· A higher quantity of green materials in production, at nearly 20%. Citroën has used new ecological components including floor mats, seat foam, wheel rims and a fuel tank. The brand’s objective in 2011 is to use 20% green materials on each of its new models.

 

C-ZERO: a 100% electric solution

Zero fuel consumption, zero CO2 emissions and zero noise: with the C-ZERO, Citroen is broadening its compact vehicle range with a 100% electric solution. The new city car was designed to make urban mobility easier, with its compact dimensions, rapid charge and generous range for day-to-day journeys. And all this in a silence that makes occupants forget about the noise of the city. The C-ZERO combines technology and creativity that meets tomorrow’s challenges today.

Having already produced more than 5,500 electric vehicles, Citroën has the experience vital to being a frontrunner in a market segment set to grow significantly in the coming years. To be launched in last-quarter 2010, the C-ZERO, developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, is the brand’s second electric vehicle alongside Berlingo First Electric, developed with Venturi. For the launch of C-ZERO, Citroen is proposing an innovative solution that looks ahead to future vehicle uses.

Using a website or a special phone number, all C-ZERO owners will, according to their needs, be able to extend their journey by taking advantage of the entire Citroën range. With a simple click or call, the vehicles will be made available in large towns and cities, directly at the call location. The first such services are now being proposed to its Long-Term Leasing Business customers.

Citroën will be launching a comprehensive offer at the end of the year in France and then in Europe, enabling all users to prepare their journeys and gain access to a palette of services including electric vehicles. With this new offering, Citroën is positioning itself as a mobility facilitator.

 

Survolt: glamorous, free-spirited and highly-charged!

Survolt is the continuation of Citroën’s exploration of distinctive and original electric vehicles, initiated with the Revolte concept car at last years’ Frankfurt Motor Show. Survolt turns received notions on their head through its radically new vision in a consummate blend of high-fashion glamour and extravagance with motor-racing punch.

The desire to overcome one’s limits, take things further, dare and create is written in Citroën’s DNA. Breaking with convention, shaking up the rules, shifting borders and surprising continuously is the passionate quest and leitmotiv of a brand that over its 90-year history has never ceased to develop innovative objects ahead of their time. Survolt continues the traditions by casting aside protocol and transgressing existing codes. A potent blend of glamour and racing thrills, Survolt is a sporty and athletic spin on Revolte.

A Step Ahead On Services

Citroën’s Créative Technologie is also reflected in innovative new services that place it one step ahead.

 

eTouch: a package of onboard assistance services

Citroën will be launching eTouch on almost all its models in the main European markets in 2010. The all-new system brings drivers a package of services including emergency and localised assistance calls, using a built-in SIM card, along with a virtual maintenance manual and an ecodriving service, both available via the web.

For the calls, eTouch functions completely autonomously. The system is equipped with a GDS module and a SIM card requiring no call contract and for an unlimited period. Vehicles feature two buttons: an “SOS” for emergency calls (these calls can also be triggered automatically in the event of impact) and a “Double Chevron” for assistance calls. Both these services are available free of charge 24/7. With eTouch, customers get a full range of easily accessible, onboard Citroen services.

 

WiFi on Board: mobile internet

Citroënis equipping its vehicles with in-car internet in the shape of the WiFi on Board box, enabling passengers to fully benefit from the web during car journeys. Sold without a subscription, as an accessory, it provides a wireless connection and works with the SIM card of the special 3G/3G+ internet key that the operator signs up for with the provider of their choice.

 

Citroën SM 40TH BIRTHDAY: CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIE

The 80th Geneva Motor Show is an important anniversary for Citroën, as it revealed the legendary SM in Geneva on 11 March 1970. This remarkable GT went on to become one of the finest on-road vehicles thanks to its impressive performance and magic-carpet ride. Some 40 years later, this Créative Technologie is as relevant as ever.