1973 Citroen Sm on 2040-cars

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Citro"en helped speed up the Pope selection process a bit

Citroën took advantage of this week's election of a new Pope to promote its clean diesel initiatives. The advertisement in the video below shows one determined Citroën engineer as he climbs atop the Vatican to take care of a pesky black smoke problem. After he works his magic, the famous chimney starts puffing out white smoke instead. We would think a clean diesel would yield no smoke at all, but hey, that's just us. We will say the opportunistic commercial is at least good for a chuckle. You can check it out in the ad below.
The French automaker unveiled a number of vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, including the updated 2013 C3 shown below. The five door can be had with a spate of engine options, including at least four clean diesel options with power ranging from 70 to 115 ponies.

Citro"en to campaign World Touring Car C-Elys'ee with Sebastian Loeb

Citroën has released the first images of its latest racecar, the C-Elysee, which will be contested by Sebastien Loeb in the World Touring Car Championship next year. Based on the C-Elysee sedan, a model first shown at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the WTCC variant has been designed for the new regulations set to be imposed by the FIA.
The C-Elysee is offered with a range of low-powered gas and diesel engines, but the WTCC model gets a 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with 380 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed sequential gearbox from Sadev sends power to the front wheels through a twin-disk, carbon-fiber clutch. Hopefully all this potential won't result in any shenanigans this season.
The roster for next season is far from finalized, although Honda will be contesting the championship with its Civic WTCC.The C-Elysee WTCC will make its race debut with Sebastien Loeb at the wheel when the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship starts, likely around the end of March 2014. Citroën will also be showing its new racer at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Chrysler brand could be axed under Stellantis management

MILAN — While running NissanÂ’s North American operations from 2009 to 2011, Carlos Tavares had a reputation for closely watching costs with little tolerance for vehicles or ventures that didnÂ’t make money. Experts say that means Tavares, currently the head of PSA Group, is likely to follow that blueprint when he becomes leader of a merged PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The low-performing Chrysler brand might get the axe as could slow-selling cars, SUVs or trucks that lack potential. Already the companies are talking about consolidating vehicle platforms — the underpinnings and powertrains — to save billions in engineering and manufacturing costs. That could mean job losses in Italy, Germany and Michigan as PSA Peugeot technology is integrated into North American and Italian vehicles. “You canÂ’t be cost efficient if you keep the entire scale of both companies,” said Karl Brauer, executive analyst for the iSeeCars.com auto website. “WeÂ’ve seen this show before, and weÂ’re going to see it again where they economize these platforms across continents, across multiple markets.” Shareholders of both companies are to meet Monday to vote on the merger to form the worldÂ’s fourth-largest automaker, to be called Stellantis. The deal received EU regulatory approval just before Christmas. Tavares, who for years has wanted to sell PSA vehicles in the U.S., wonÂ’t take full control of the merged companies until the end of January at the earliest. He likely will target Europe for consolidation first, because thatÂ’s where Fiat vehicles overlap extensively with PSAÂ’s, said IHS Markit Principal Auto Analyst Stephanie Brinley. Europe has been a money-loser for FCA, and factories in Italy are operating way below capacity — a concern for unions, given FiatÂ’s role as the largest private sector employer in the country. “We are at a crossroads,Â’Â’ said Michele De Palma of the FIOM CGIL metalworkersÂ’ union. “Either there is a relaunch, or there is a slow agonizing closure of industry, in particular the auto industry, in Italy.” ItalyÂ’s hopes lie with the luxury Maserati and sporty Alfa Romeo brands, but De Palma said investments are needed to bring hybrid and electric technology up to speed. FiatÂ’s Italian capacity stands at 1.5 million vehicles, but only a few hundred thousand are being produced each year. Most factories were on rolling short-term layoffs due to lack of demand, even before the pandemic.