1968 Citroen Ds20 on 2040-cars

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Lotus could be sold to Chinese automaker Geely

Two things are constant throughout the history of Lotus Cars: amazing vehicles, and financial struggles. Frequent changes in both ownership and leadership have left the company's future up in the air. And while the new management has improved quality and set a new product plan in place, its seems that Lotus could have a new parent company soon. Despite comments to the contrary, Chinese automaker Geely is rumored to be interested in acquiring Lotus Cars. The British automaker has been owned by Proton since 1996, but after Proton was sold to DRB-Hicom in 2012 investors suggested selling off Lotus. The Star Online reports that PSA in France is rumored to be looking at purchasing Proton cars from DRB-Hicom. In turn, Geely, the parent company of Volvo, is interested in purchasing Lotus from Proton. The report states that Geely has no interest in mass-market vehicles from Proton, while crossover-focus PSA, owner of Peugeot and Citroen, has no interest in a sports car manufacturer like Lotus. China has been encouraging its native automakers to purchase and acquire technology it lacks. Buying Lotus looks like it would benefit both companies. Lotus needs an influx of cash while Geely, looking to compete further on the global stage, would gain a great deal of technical and engineering knowledge from Lotus. Geely's stewardship of Volvo has been mostly hands-off, while giving the Swedish company enough money to invest in new platforms and technologies. If the same were to happen to Lotus, Colin Chapman's company could have its best years ahead of it. Related Video: News Source: The Star Online via Car BuzzImage Credit: Getty Rumormill Lotus Volvo Citroen Peugeot Lightweight Vehicles Performance Supercars Geely

Stellantis says electrification is killing the affordable car

Stellantis-owned Citroen is worried that electrification is making it difficult for motorists to buy an affordable car by driving prices up. One of the company's top executives said this trend is "a real threat," and his comments were echoed by the group's chief manufacturing officer. "It's really a threat that the electrification has increased the price of the car so much that people can't afford cars anymore. It's a real threat, not only regarding Citroen, so we're increasingly conscious of that and are working on this," explained Arnaud Ribault, the head of Citroen's European division, in an interview with British magazine Autocar. Going hybrid (and especially electric) threatens to drive some buyers out of the new car market for several reasons. One is that the cost of the raw materials needed to build a hybrid or an electric car tends to be higher than the cost of the raw materials required to make a comparable gasoline- or diesel-powered model. For context, the Citroen C4 (a crossover with a fastback-like roof line; pictured) starts at 22,900 euros with a gasoline-burning three-cylinder engine and 35,300 euros with an electric powertrain, figures that represent about $23,900 and $36,800, respectively. That's a huge difference, even when the EV's longer list of standard features gets factored in. On our side of the pond, the 2022 Hyundai Kona carries a base price of $21,300 with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine between its fenders and $34,000 with a battery under its passenger compartment. Government incentives help narrow the gap, and the electric variant is better equipped than its gasoline-sipping counterpart, but these points don't matter to someone with a budget of $25,000, for example. Another issue, one that's more prevalent in Europe than in the United States, is that it's becoming increasingly expensive for companies to keep cheap gasoline-powered cars compliant with regulations that get stricter on a regular basis. Someone buying, say, an Audi A8 can absorb the cost of the extra equipment, but a buyer in the market for an entry-level model (like the tiny Citroen C1) very likely can't. This gives carmakers two basic options: take the financial hit and reduce a profit margin that's already wafer-thin, or pass the cost onto the buyer and watch sales plummet accordingly.

Peugeot returning to Pikes Peak with S'ebastien Loeb [w/video]

In spite of troubles in other areas - and there are plenty of them - sales of the Peugeot 208 are a bright spot for the French carmaker. Attempting to grab that light and make sure it shines everywhere, the company is returning the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 30 with a specially prepared 208 driven by nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb.
Citroën has loaned Loeb to its PSA/Peugeot-Citroën sister company so that he could contest his first Pikes Peak - it only makes sense that he's looking to try new pastures after winning all of those World Rally Championship titles with Citroën. The 208, which will have the start number '208,' will be revealed in April. Peugeot has won the race twice, once with Ari Vatanen in a 206 T16 in 1988 and again the next year with Robby Unser in a 405 T16.
To get you ready, there's a press release and a short film below called Climb Dance which follows Vatanen's drive. We highly recommend a watch - better vintage car porn is hard to find.