1970 Citroen Mehari on 2040-cars

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Dongfeng and PSA extend Chinese joint venture

BEIJING/PARIS — China's Dongfeng and Peugeot maker PSA are extending their business cooperation, despite the Chinese company reducing its stake in PSA to help smooth the French carmaker's merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Dongfeng said on Thursday it had agreed with PSA to extend the duration of their joint venture Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (DPCA). Under the deal, the venture could get the rights to PSA's new brands in China and will benefit from new technologies and intellectual properties, the Chinese company said. PSA was not immediately available for comment. The announcement comes a day after the companies said Dongfeng would reduce its 12.2% stake in PSA by selling 30.7 million shares to the French company. Analysts said the move could smooth U.S. regulatory approval for PSA's roughly $50 billion (GBP38.97 billion) merger with Italian-American carmaker FCA. The sale of Dongfeng's shares in PSA, worth around 680 million euros ($757 million), will leave the Chinese group holding around 4.5% of the merged PSA-FCA, which is set to become the world's fourth-biggest carmaker by sales volumes. "As the cooperation between Dongfeng and PSA deepens, we expect the joint venture to continue making good progress in China," a Dongfeng representative said. On a conference call, Dongfeng said DPCA would have exclusive rights to PSA's Opel cars should the partners agree to bring the brand to China, and enjoy lower prices on car parts imported from PSA. Earlier this year, a document seen by Reuters showed Dongfeng and PSA plan to cut jobs at Wuhan-based DPCA and reduce its number of car plants to try to make the venture more profitable. Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot China FCA PSA Dongfeng

Citro"en bringing Wild Rubis concept to Shanghai

Citroën announced that it will be bringing the "latest expression" of its DS lineup to the Shanghai Motor Show next week, with this aubergine-hued concept called Wild Rubis. For the record, "Rubis" is French for "Ruby" and alludes to that purple/red paint, as far as we can make out.
The French automaker tells us that the Wild Rubis foreshadows an upcoming DS SUV. The concept is going to be "full-hybrid, plug-in technology," beyond that, however, details are quite sparse. We expect that we'll receive a lot more in the way of detail about the Wild Rubis when Citroën rolls it out on the stage in China.
What the press release lacks in detail, however, Citroën has certainly made up for in imagery. It seems that before shipping the concept to Shanghai, the Wild Rubis was photographed extensively at the Cheval Blanc wine-growing estate in the Saint-Emilion area of France. The result is a massive image gallery for you to explore and enjoy.

Citro"en C4 Picasso arrives lighter, roomier and Euro 6-approved [w/video]

The 2013 Citroën C4 Picasso brings some unexpected company to the new 2014 Jeep Cherokee and its novel headlight arrangement. And since two such designs are rarely an accident in vehicle design, we'll say this could be a trend. More traditionally, the C4 Picasso brings smaller dimensions outside, more space inside, lighter weight and more technology to Europe's small people-mover game.
Built on PSA-Peugeot/Citroën's Efficient Modular Platform 2, it's lost 140 kilograms (308 pounds) so it weighs as much - or as little - as the Citroën C3 Picasso and its new design has an air drag index that's better than the Audi R8 and Ford GT. The wheelbase is stretched, the front overhang is reduced by 70 millimeters, and the lower position of the engine and floor drop the center of gravity and the wider track makes for a more aggressive stance and delivers better handling.
Inside, the do-it-all center stack is topped by a 12-inch high-definition screen augmented by a seven-inch touchscreen. The dividers in the two-tone instrument panel are black on the driver's side and Champagne or Ardoise on the passenger side. The info display on the larger screen is reconfigurable, while the smaller, seven-inch screen controls functions like the air conditioning, navigation and Multicity Connect apps. The first row of seats is patterned to look like a one-piece bench, the second row can move fore and aft, standard trunk space is a around 19 cubic feet and the tailgate made of composites opens and closes electronically. Airiness is ensured by the panoramic windscreen and glass roof.