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Citro"en reveals DS 5LS luxury sedan for the Chinese market

Typically seen as more of a budget brand, Citroën set out to move upmarket with the re-launch of its DS line and the debut of the DS3 in 2010. But in the years since, it has only produced hatchbacks, and as anyone could tell you, a luxury marque wouldn't be a luxury marque without a luxury sedan. And that's what the French automaker has set out to create with this latest model to join the family.
Designed specifically for the Chinese market - where buyers still demand sedans like we do here - the DS 5LS is based on (and will be built alongside) the existing DS5 hatch. Its design is derived closely from the Numero 9 and Wild Rubis concepts, but with a trunk and applied to a footprint only slightly larger than the latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Positioned in the smaller C segment, however, the DS 5LS claims the longest wheelbase in its class. That gives it a rather commodious interior, swathed in leather, wood and metal, with features like massaging front seats and reclining rear seats.
Power comes in the form of a twin-scroll turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder engine displacing either 1.6 or 2.0 liters, mated to a six-speed automatic. Buyers will be able to choose between nine exterior colors when they order theirs through one of 50 dedicated DS dealerships across China. With its launch at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, Citroën also announced that it will be launching an SUV in the Chinese market as well sometime next year.

Dongfeng to take 30% stake in PSA Peugeot Citro"en?

PSA Peugeot Citroën, the European automaking giant responsible for forbidden fruit like the Citroën DS3 and Peugeot RCZ, has been struggling mightily, with a 510-million euro operating loss ($689.2M USD) in the first half of 2013, while cutting over 11,000 jobs and closing a plant, all in a bid to stop hemorrhaging cash. Help could be on the way, though, thanks to one of China's many emergent automakers, Dongfeng.
The company, which currently operates three joint-venture operations with PSA in China, is reportedly looking at taking a 30-percent stake at a cost of $1.63 billion. Dongfeng is in the midst of "preliminary research," according to a report from Automotive News Europe. PSA reps have reportedly declined to comment outside of saying that the company is looking at new projects with different partners.
While this deal does sound like it's in the earliest stages, a tie-up with Dongfeng could be big for PSA, which has had no shortage of trouble outside of the sluggish European market. The arrangement also raises some interesting questions for PSA's two largest shareholders - the Peugeot family and General Motors. Dongfeng would be the largest shareholder in PSA, replacing the Peugeot family, which currently holds a controlling 25.5-percent stake. GM, meanwhile, only owns seven percent, and has previously gone on record as saying the partnership between the two wouldn't be broken. That said, as part of GM's alliance, it reserves the right to end the partnership if control of PSA were to change.

Citroen's quirky My Ami Buggy is going back into limited production

Surprisingly high demand has convinced Citroen to build additional units of the My Ami Buggy, an outdoorsy evolution of the tiny Ami electric two-seater. Production will again be limited, though there will be significantly more examples available, and the EV will get a few updates. Unveiled as a concept in December 2021, the original My Ami Buggy received an off-roader-like design characterized by features like black plastic exterior trim, a canvas sunroof, a roof-mounted spoiler, and tubular doors. Production was limited to 50 units and the entire batch was spoken for in about 18 minutes. Buyers who missed out are in luck: Citroen announced plans to build 1,000 examples of the second series. The Paris-based company claims the new version of the My Ami Buggy will be very similar to the original model with the exception of "a few surprises" that haven't been detailed. Preview photos suggest the EV will receive a roof-mounted trim piece with an integrated visor. It doesn't sound like Citroen will make changes to the Ami's powertrain. Classified as a quadricycle rather than as a car in France, the Ami is powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a 5.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and zaps the front wheels with 8 horsepower. It offers about 45 miles of driving range and a 0-60-mph time of never; its top speed is limited to approximately 28 mph. The updated My Ami Buggy will go on sale during the first quarter of 2023 and deliveries are scheduled to start the following summer. While the original model was sold exclusively in France, the new version will be available in additional European markets. Pricing information hasn't been announced yet but it's of little interest to us: nothing suggests the My Ami Buggy will make the trip across the Atlantic. What's in a name? Although there's nothing retro about the Ami, its name carries a tremendous amount of heritage. Citroen introduced it in 1961 on a model called Ami 6 and developed to fill the abyss separating the 2CV and the ID/DS. "Ami" means "friend" in French but it's reportedly an acronym that stands for "automobile de milieu de gamme" ("mid-range automobile"), while the 6 represents the flat-twin engine's 602cc displacement. Offered as a sedan with a funky, Z-shaped roof line and as a station wagon, the Ami 6 exceeded even optimistic expectations and became France's best-selling car in 1966. It was briefly offered in the United States but predictably sold poorly.