1980 Citroen Dyane on 2040-cars

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Citroen C4 Cactus Airflow 2L brings the fuel-sipping funk [w/video]

Full disclosure: I love the Citroën C4 Cactus. Really, I just love French automakers. Kudos to them for flexing their design muscles, creating products that compete in the mass market while not looking like anything else on the road. This C4 Cactus, for example - it's a small hatchback that's about the same size as a Ford Focus, designed to take on small crossovers like the (also weird) Nissan Juke and Renault Captur. But it looks radical, what with its funky Airbump door trim (think of it as aerodynamic, protective Braille), extensive and imaginative color palette, and decidedly weird styling. It's just plain cool.
This specific C4 Cactus, however, takes things a step further with a massive focus on emissions and fuel economy. Much like the Peugeot 208 with which it shares a powertrain, the Cactus 2L Airflow uses PSA Peugeot Citroën's Hybrid Air powertrain, comprised of a three-cylinder PureTech gasoline engine and a compressed air storage unit. There are three different operating modes for the Hybrid Air system, including "air power," where the compressed air motor runs things, "petrol power," which is pretty self-explanatory, and "combined power," where the combustion engine works with the compressed air system to move things along.
The end result? A five-door hatch that weighs just 2,100 pounds (you know, lighter than a Mazda Miata) and is capable of getting 141 miles per gallon on the European cycle, or two liters per 100 kilometers (that's why it's got "2L" in its name). And it's all wrapped in colorful, textured, uniquely French package. Sign me up.

Fiat Chrysler CEO says final merger talks with Peugeot going well

BRUSSELS — Fiat Chrysler's chief executive Michael Manley said on Wednesday that merger talks with Peugeot owner PSA  to create the world's No. 4 carmaker are progressing well and he hopes to have a deal within 12-14 months. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry meeting, he said he doesn't expect any major obstacles that could delay a final agreement. "Talks are progressing really well," Manley said about negotiations with the French carmaker ahead of a briefing by the European automotive association (ACEA), of which he is president. His comments come a month after the two carmakers agreed to a binding deal worth about $50 billion to combine forces in response to a slowdown in global demand and mounting costs of making cleaner vehicles amid tighter emissions regulations. Manley's timeline for completing the deal by early 2021 is in line with a forecast made by the companies in December. Fiat and Peugeot are now getting into the details of how the merger will work, including choosing which vehicle platforms — the technological underpinnings of a vehicle — will fit which products in a combined company. Because customers in different locations still prefer vastly different cars, there is room for multiple platforms in a combined group, Manley said. "That global platform is an elusive beast," he added. "This concept of a massive global platform in my mind is almost a myth, but that doesnÂ’t mean to say weÂ’re not going to recruit significant volume." Related Video:    

Italian coachbuilder wraps a modern-day Citroen van in a retro skin

Italian coachbuilder Caselani resurrected an obscure, often-forgotten model from Citroen's past to offer van buyers an additional retro-styled option. Called Type HG, it's based on the current-generation Citroen Jumpy. One of the French carmaker's best-known vintage vans is the Type H, which was built with only minor changes from 1947 to 1981. It's aged into a sought-after classic that's popular as a food truck and as a camper from Paris to Sydney. Few realize Citroen planned to release a smaller model named Type G which looked almost exactly like the H but used an air-cooled flat-twin engine shared with the 2CV. Several prototypes were made, but the project was canned in favor of the 2CV-based, nine-horsepower AU van released in 1951. It's this little-known prototype that only exists in Citroen's official heritage collection and in the minds of the most indoctrinated French car enthusiasts that Caselani chose to bring into the 21st century. And, because the Type G (shown below) was a shrunken copy of the Type H from a design standpoint, making a body kit that fits the Citroen Jumpy was relatively simple. Caselani liberally borrowed styling cues from its modern version of the Type H, which is based on the larger Citroen Jumper sold as the Ram ProMaster in the United States. It adds a new-look front end with a vertical grille, chromed chevrons, and round headlights positioned as far out of the body as regulations permit, corrugated body panels, and a redesigned rear end. Whitewall tires are optionally available. Caselani offers the Type HG as a passenger van, a crew-cab van, and a panel van. Pricing starts at 29,400 euros before taxes are factored in, a sum that represents about $35,000 and that corresponds to a short-wheelbase panel model powered by a 100-horsepower, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. Alternatively, motorists who already own a Jumpy can purchase the transformation kit on its own for 14,800 euros (about $17,500). For added peace of mind, Caselani pointed out the conversion was created with Citroen's input, and the brand authorized the kit. We know what you're thinking: what on earth is a Jumpy? Glad you asked! It's a van positioned in the middle of Citroen's commercial range. It slots between the Berlingo, which competes in the same segment as the Ford Transit Connect, and the Jumper, which is marketed as an alternative to the Ford Transit.