Citroen SM, page #11

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Visit this secret Citro?n stash outside Paris with XCar

With models like the 2CV, DS and SM, Citroën established itself as a home for quirky styling and out-of-the-box engineering, and in many minds the brand defines the look of the classic French car. In a recent video, XCar ventures inside Citroën's secret warehouse outside of Paris where the brand keeps many of its rarest and most significant cars.
The collection includes the oldest DS in the world, which was never put on sale, and four incredibly rare, pre-World War II 2CVs. According to Denis Huille of Citroën Heritage, about 60 percent of the cars are in drivable condition.
Citroën is now starting to go through a stylistic reawakening. Concepts like the DS 5LS R, Wild Rubis and Numero 9 show off a brand that has a definite idea of how a car wearing its badge should look. Scroll down to take a tour through the company's history.

Citro?n heading to Beijing with DS 5LS R concept [w/video]

With the renaissance of the DS line, Citroën was clearly going for style and elegance. But in the years since it has also imbued some of its premium DS models with an added dose of performance. It used the DS3 as the basis for its World Rally Championship challenger, then rolled out the DS3 Racing hot hatch and the DS3 Cabrio Racing version, and applied a similar treatment to the DS4 Racing concept. Now it's doing the same to the Chinese-market DS 5LS luxury sedan.
Set to debut later this month at the Beijing Motor Show, the somewhat awkwardly named DS 5LS R may sound more like a new camera model but is actually a performance sedan concept. In its transformation, Citroën gave it a 1.6-liter turbo four with 300 horsepower on tap, lowered the suspension by 15 millimeters (0.6 inches), widened the track, upgraded the brakes, fitted 20-inch wheels and gave it looks to match.
The bodywork has been doused in a matte metallic shade of reddish magenta and accented with carbon-fiber trim, while the interior has been upgraded with leather and Alcantara trim, top-stitched in the same red as the exterior and similarly accented with carbon trim. Of course R logos feature prominently throughout. No matter what we think of it, though, a concept car based on a model made by a French automaker for the Chinese market stands absolutely no chance of ever seeing the inside of an American showroom or an inch of the Great American Road, so the closest we're ever likely to get is the high-res image gallery above and the video and press release below.

Citro?n C4 Cactus Adventure Concept takes fuel efficiency to the trails

Alongside the auto show debut of the new Citroën C4 Cactus, the French marque also rolled out this, the C4 Cactus Adventure Concept. Not surprisingly, the C4 doesn't belie itself as an off-road vehicle. With the Adventure Concept, Citroën is looking to change that.
Finished with an interesting, camo-like paint scheme that reacted to the black lights of the Citroën stand, the Adventure Concept is outfitted with knobbly BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires and off-road-ready black wheels. The new rubber should be good for some extra grip when the going gets tough, although we're betting they'd take a nice chunk out of the C4 Cactus' 91.1-Euro-mpg fuel rating.
Brush bars have been fitted both front and rear to provide some protection from the C4 Cactus' overhangs. The other change is the roof rack and cargo box on the ultra-efficient CUV's roof, which can also act as a mounting point for GoPro cameras. That cargo box is home to a pair of auxiliary lights, allowing the Adventure to handle light trail duty whether the sun is up or down. The hood also features a mounting point on the passenger's side for the handy video recorder.

Redesigned Citro?n C1 brings a bit of Paris style to Geneva [w/video]

Fans of super-small city cars should be enjoying our Geneva Motor Show coverage, as the flashy Toyota Aygo, the Peugeot 108 and this new Citroën C1 are all making their introductions.
We already told you about its polarizing eyelashes over the headlamps, and we'll admit, they're a dominant feature in the front of the car. The rest of this little French hatch is far more conventional. The rollback canvas roof gives the cabin an airiness that's uncommon in this segment. Many of the interior items are quite clearly from the C1's cousin at Toyota, but the rest of the interior appearance is uniquely French, with the painted center stack dominating the look of the cabin.
We've got a gallery of live images available at the top of the page, as well as the official shots and press release from Citroën's reveal of the C1 from last week.

Citro?n C4 Cactus is the ultra-light, ultra-efficient hatch we want [w/video]

We've already told you all about the Citroën C4 Cactus when the production version was unveiled early last month, discussing its ultra-low curb weight and fuel efficient line of powertrains. Now, we've scoped it out on the floor of the Geneva Motor Show.
What's immediately noticeable is that the C4 Cactus is not a particularly large car, despite fairly spacious back and front seats. It's rather tall, which we imagine could impact the handling, although at just over 2,100 pounds (965 kilograms... no kidding), it could be as tall as the Eiffel Tower and still handle well. As we mentioned, that low curb weight shouldn't just help with the way the C4 handles, but in terms of fuel economy, which is rated at a whopping 91.1 miles per gallon on the European cycle.
The interior, meanwhile, is an interesting place. The clean dash is really only interrupted by the central touchscreen and the slim instrument cluster. It's refreshing, at least when looked at alongside more heavily styled interiors.

Citro?n C1 gets eyebrows... no, seriously [w/video]

Citroën has revealed its new C1 city car, marking the first full redesign of the popular hatch since it debuted way back in 2005. Set to make its global debut at next week's Geneva Motor Show, here are all the particulars on what should prove a popular offering in European markets. The C1 is essentially Citroën's version of the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 108, both of which are set to make their own debuts in Geneva.
Available in both three and five-door versions like its predecessor, the new C1 adds a convertible-like Airscape model, which delivers an open-roof experience for budget drivers.
The exterior, meanwhile, is reminiscent of the old C1, but fresher and funkier. There's no other way to describe the secondary set of lights but as eyebrows, although that's no bad thing. This is a cute car, and among budget city cars looks count just a bit more (because there isn't much else worth bragging about, usually).

Peugeot family cedes control in rescue deal with China's Dongfeng

PSA Peugeot-Citroën may have been saved from the brink of collapse. It has finally completed a deal where Chinese automaker Dongfeng and the French government are each investing about 800-million euros ($1.1 billion USD) to take 14 percent stakes in the automaker, according to the BBC. The deal dilutes the Peugeot family's stake from 25.4 percent to 14 percent. In addition to that, it is raising another 1.4 billion euros ($1.9 billion) from existing PSA investors. The deal still must be approved by shareholders, but is expected to pass.
The deal's announcement comes at the same time that PSA has announced its 2013 financial results. It posted a 2.32-billion euro ($3.2 billion) loss last year, which can be considered a substantial improvement compared to the 5-billion euro ($6.9 billion) loss in 2012. Sales were down 2.4 percent last year.
The Dongfeng deal has been rumored since last year, and the two companies are already linked, as Dongfeng runs a PSA joint-venture factory in China. The French government is promising to use its stake to protect Peugeot workers in France when it becomes a shareholder.

Citro?n C4 Cactus production model keeps it weird and bumpy [w/video]

This is the new Citroën C4 Cactus, and it's what you get when you combine the designs of a Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and a Jeep Cherokee with a hint of woodie wagon. This is a fascinating and thoughtful little package, even if you aren't attracted by its appearance.
The Airbump system (those funny bumps on the doors designed to protect the sheetmetal from dings), which was originally shown on the Cactus Concept, is back for the production model, and will be available in four different colors. Citroën is pushing the customization angle as well, offering ten paint options matched with three different interior treatments.
Citroën isn't yet offering any information on what engines will be available, besides stating that start-stop-equipped PureTech gas engines and BlueHDi diesel will be featured, but it does offer some interesting metrics. Fuel economy and emissions for the diesel model sits at 91.1 miles per gallon on the European cycle and 82 grams of CO2 per kilometer, making it both exceptionally clean and fuel efficient. The gas engine, meanwhile, promises under 100 grams of CO2 per klick. While there's no doubting that this is down to a thrifty powertrain, Citroën's focus on weight reduction plays a big role as well.

All-out lap of 'Ring makes hero car out of diesel Citro?n

Despite what Audi would have you believe, diesel-powered cars aren't generally the best track-day weapons. Similarly, Citroën's successful rally history does not mean all of its cars are tossable, gravel-spewing machines. That makes this maniacal, sub-10-minute lap of the Nürburgring in a woeful Citroën AX diesel all the more impressive.
The unidentified driver has spent seven years looking for what he calls the "perfect lap" of the Ring. That's meant 118 laps of the course spread across 10 different trips from his home in Bordeaux, France, which is nearly 700 miles from the track. And as you can see from the video, these are not conservative laps being run. Braking is optional, and as the driver freely admits, he tends to overdrive the car in some corners. That's because a loss of momentum in the 52-horsepower car could totally ruin the lap.
It shouldn't be a shock, but after all the trips to the Ring, the little Citroën has suffered, chewing through nine engines and five transmissions over the years. The saggy body has necessitated the addition of a strut-tower bar, as well as a new intake to accommodate the strut-tower bar. Ultra-sticky Yokohama Advan A048 tires have also been fitted on the front.

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.