Citroen SM, page #15

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Citro"en DS3 tears the roof off

The Citroën DS3 Cabrio we first saw at the 2012 Paris Motor Show has launched in the UK, putting more Gallic-tinged, canvas-roofed convertible goodness on the automotive menu. Competing directly against cars like the Mini Cooper Convertible and Fiat 500C, Citroën believes it's got a winner because on top of the DS3's already popular chops the Cabrio maintains the five-seater space and the largest cargo area in the segment.
You can open and close the roof at up to 75 miles per hour - the Citroën release doesn't say whether that means all the way or to the intermediate, horizontal position. Buyers get seven exterior colors to select from, a roof in either black, Infinite Blue or Moondust Grey DS Monogramme, six interior decor styles, and nine wheel options.
There are three trims, the DSign with the 82-horsepower VTi engine is the backstop of the line at 15,045 pounds ($23,747 US) on-the-road, the DStyle with the 120-hp VTi for 17,425 pounds ($27,507 US) and the DSport with its 155-hp THP motor for 19,675 pounds ($31,201 US). The press release below will be happy to tell you more.

GM, PSA scrap large car program, move forward with small engine development

The partnership between General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroën isn't expected to produce any results until 2016, but it has created plenty of news (and speculation) since it was formed back in February. Now, GM is laying out some of the specifics of the deal while Automotive News Europe is reporting plans have been scrapped to produce a shared platform for a midsize sedan.
In "definitive agreements" between the two automakers, GM says that three new vehicle platforms are still on track; one of these will bring a new compact minivan to GM's Opel and Vauxhall brands and a compact crossover to Peugeot, and the other platform will be for B-segment minivans for both entities to share. ANE says that the proposed shared platform for the Opel Insignia and Citroën was canceled due to the lack of a sound business case.
In addition to cars, the joint venture will also be an opportunity for both automakers to develop "high-performance, efficient" gasoline engines and to create joint purchasing to allow both companies to potentially save money (this aspect of the agreement is still pending legal clearance from anti-trust approvals).

UK auto magazine says this is the best car commercial of all time [w/videos]

There have been many great car commercials over the years, but is it possible to define the best? Well, Ad Week recently took a crack at it by rating the top commercials of the year by looking at their view counts on YouTube, but Auto Express took a more democratic approach by putting the decision to a vote. Just after Thanksgiving, Auto Express came up with a list of the 20 popular commercials, and it tasked its readers with choosing the winner for the best car ad of all time. The winner? Honda's 2003 commercial for its then-new European Accord titled "The Cog."
While the ad never aired in the US, most car people have surely seen the impressive Rube Goldberg-style spot. In fact, the only commercial on this list that we saw on US television was the Volkswagen ad "The Force," but many of the others have become viral videos, including transforming and dancing Citroën C4. Of the 19 other commercials that vied for the title of best ad of all time, only the Ford Puma "Steve McQueen" commercial gave Honda a run for its advertising money.
Scroll down to watch Auto Express' top five commercial in order and to check out a press release, then let us know some of your favorite car commercials in Comments.

End of the road for French flagship sedans as Citro"en C6 production winding down

Even if their avant-garde styling has historically meant that they would never enjoy the sales success of their more staid German counterparts, it was always somehow comforting to know that the French were building large sedans. With a history of nontraditional looks and peerless ride quality (a legacy built on the hydropneumatic suspension of the original Citroën DS), big French cars have always been an acquired taste.
And now it appears buyers with that specific palette won't have a clear place to go, at least for a while. According to Automotive News, production of the Citroën C6 shown above (click to enlarge) is scheduled to cease this month, leaving French buyers (and Francophiles) without a true-bleu option. As the article points out, Renault will still offer its Latitude - effectively a badge-engineered rework of the Korean-built Samsung SM5 - but patriotic consumers have apparently been staying away because it isn't French enough (Renault has sold under 3,800 examples this year).
Renault may yet provide an answer for its displaced countrymen in the form of a new Initiale Paris-branded flagship offering that would be developed on Mercedes-Benz E-Class britches, but it has not yet decided whether it will move forward with the car. The alternative, to follow Citroën and Peugeot in leaving the segment, is probably looking quite appealing now, especially with Europe's continued economic malaise.

PSA and Renault both hit by autoworker strikes

Peugeot-Citroën (PSA) and Renault were both the targets of autoworker strikes on Thursday, the result of ongoing tensions between labor and management in the wake of planned facility closings in 2014.
3,000 French jobs stand to be lost in less than two years when the PSA's Aulnay plant executes a planned closure of a production line. The line in question currently builds Citroën's C3 subcompact model.
Negotiations are reportedly still underway, with PSA pledging to offer jobs elsewhere to about half of the Aulnay workers that stand to be laid off.

GM, Peugeot cease tie-up talks over French bailout issue

The partnership General Motors (via Opel) and PSA Peugeot/Citroën began in February has produced more declarations and revisions than easily identifiable positive movement. A deeper collaboration between Opel and Peugeot has been mentioned a few times, perhaps even a sale of one to the other, and a report in October laid out joint plans like a small MPV for Opel/Vauxhall, a small car for both Opel and Citroën and two new platforms for small and midsize cars.
What observers can't glean from the proclamations is how all this can happen with Peugeot in constant, and worsening, financial trouble. The French company just accepted a bailout from the French government, the cash position at its lending arm so bad that the interest rates it had to charge were pricing it out of the car-loan market, and a new report in Reuters says that Peugeot is losing $200 million per month.
That cash-burn rate is better than a few months ago, but the Reuters report explains that the French government loan is "sabotaging" any chance of a closer tie-up between the two companies, said to include the possibility of "a full combination of Peugeot with GM's European unit Opel." That particular option, with a $5-billion buy-in from GM, could have allowed GM to get Opel off its books by making it part of a separate entity. The French government's terms for the loan, however, mean that Peugeot can't shed workers and factories as it would need to in order to make the new entity, and any deeper ties with Opel, viable.

Ford, Renault, VW shareholder oppose French aid for PSA/Peugeot-Citro"en

Pots and kettles, glass houses and stones - that's a little of what we appear to have going on in the European car market. New reports say that that three European automakers have registered their opposition to a loan deal that PSA/Peugeot-Citroën is working on with the French government. Peugeot's finance arm, Banque PSA Finance, is struggling with its debts and has been downgraded by Moody's to its lowest investment-grade classification, one step above junk. This makes it more expensive for a potential buyer to finance a car through Peugeot. The last thing Peugeot needs is more difficulty selling cars in the tough European market, and the situation will only worsen if the bank's credit worthiness takes another hit.
A deal being worked on would have the French government offer €7 billion ($9B U.S.) in bonds to guarantee the bank's loans, which would give the institution some breathing room to manage its debts and lower its interest rates. Outside of that, a group of banks would provide other, non-guaranteed loans to the bank to further help its position. In exchange for state help, though, the government wants seats on Peugeot's board for worker representatives and a government liaison, along with factory and worker guarantees. The Peugeot family would maintain control of the company.
So what we have is government assistance being provided to a car company's finance arm, akin to the way General Motors' GMAC (now Ally Financial) and Chrysler Financial got help in their time of need. What we also have is Ford and Renault, and Germany's State of Lower Saxony, the second-largest shareholder in Volkswagen, voicing their concern about the proposal, because they say it could create an unfair competitive advantage for Peugeot. Everyone in Europe's down market is fighting for every sale, and if Peugeot gets help to keep its auto loan costs down, it figures to help buyers choose Peugeot or Citroën.

GM and PSA detail four new co-developed vehicle projects

New details have emerged this morning regarding a partnership between General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroën. Following talks that started back in February, the American and French automakers will apparently team up to develop several vehicles, including a small MPV for Opel/Vauxhall and a compact crossover for Peugeot. Also planned is a small car for both Opel and Citroën.
Additionally, the two companies will co-develop a low-CO2-emitting small car platform to underpin the next generation of Opel and PSA models. The detailed plans call out a midsize platform to be shared between Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot/Citroën.
As much as $2 billion in savings are expected in the next five years as a result of this venture. In a statement from GM and PSA, "All four projects will be developed combining the best platform architectures and technologies from alliance partners."

WRC crowns driver and manufacturer champs, any guesses who? [spoilers]

Brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, for a shocking announcement: Sébastien Loeb has won the 2012 World Rally Championship title, and his Red-Bull-sponsored Citroën team took home the manufacturer's trophy.
For those keeping track, this is Loeb's ninth WRC title, and the season-clinching win at Rally France - in front of fans from his hometown of Haguenau, no less - marks the 75th time Loeb has driven to victory in the series. So dominant was Loeb in 2012 that his title has been secured with two races remaining on the calendar.
Sébastien Loeb has announced that he will be in something of a retirement mode in 2013, but it remains to be seen what the 38-year-old Frenchman will do with all his new-found spare time.

2013 Citro"en C3 Picasso exemplifies utility, cubist charm

We Americans are far too self-conscious to widely adopt the immensely utilitarian MPV, opting for bloated, high-riding crossovers. In Europe, on the other hand, vehicles like the Citroen C3 Picasso are optimal for families in towns where the streets were once farm paths.
This funky people-mover was first unveiled in 2007 and has gone on to move more than 320,000 units in sales. Citroën brought very little to the table in the way of specs, but from what we can tell, the visual updates are on the subtle side, bringing it more in line with the rest of the French automaker's product offerings. The free-floating double-chevron logo of Citroen is now anchored by faux vents that run from headlight to headlight. Upper and lower grilles now have a honeycomb pattern, and LED running lights have been added below the fog lights.
Pricing and availability have not yet been released, but that information will become available as the C3 Picasso nears its arrival in dealerships in January of 2013. More details are available in the press release below.