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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.

Citro"en reveals limited-edition DS3 Cabrio Racing

We know it may be hard to believe for those of us now covered in snow, but the summer wasn't that long ago, and won't be that long away, either. Just this past summer, Citroën rolled in to the Goodwood Festival of Speed with the DS3 Cabrio Racing Concept, a show car that - not unlike the Fiat 500C Abarth - combined the best attributes of the DS3 Cabrio and the firecracker DS3 Racing hot hatch. It wasn't long after that the concept was mooted for production, and now that day has come.
Announced together with Citroën's motorsport program for next season (when it will contest both the World Rally Championship and World Touring Car Championship), the most we've seen until now of the production DS3 Cabrio Racing has been a solitary image released with little in the way of details. But with a little prodding, the folks at Citroën were kind enough to spill the full beans on the new cloth-top hot hatch.
What we're looking at is a fairly faithful translation of the concept to production, with only a few discernable trim differences (like black mirror caps instead of chrome and body-colored front lip spoiler instead of red) to be gleaned. Power comes from the same 1.6-liter turbo four as the DS3 Racing hatchback (now quoted at an incrementally higher 207 horsepower that likely comes down to a rounding error), driving the front set of 18-inch wheels through a six-speed manual. Only instead of the glossy grey paintjob with flashy graphics and bright orange roof, this version has a matte grey finish with subtle anodized red accents and a fabric roof panel that folds back.

Kubica crashes out of first full WRC event [w/video]

Robert Kubica seems to have more bad luck than most top-tier race car drivers, but maybe that's because his high-profile crashes since 2011 have garnered more media attention than his achievements. When we left off with him last month, he was within spitting distance of winning WRC2, and he indeed won the championship in late October. Now here's the bad news: he crashed out of his first full WRC event on Friday, ESPN F1 reports. Fortunately, Neither Kubica nor his co-driver were injured.
Kubica recently graduated to WRC with the Abu Dahbi Citroën Total team and was participating in the Wales Rally GB this week. He finished Thursday, the first day of the rally, in seventh place and reportedly was heard saying "I have a lot of things to learn" as he stepped out of the car that night. The next day, on the fourth special stage, he rolled his Citroën off the road into the trees.
The former Formula One driver was involved in a high-speed rally crash in February 2011 and suffered major injuries, including a nearly severed right arm. The damage left Kubica with limited movement in the arm, which many people say could be the nail in the coffin for his return to F1. Fueling that thought, Scuderia Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali recently said in an interview that he doesn't think Kubica would race with Ferrari due to physical problems with his arm.

GM, Peugeot strains kills joint small car, possibly whole alliance

The relationship between General Motors and PSA/Peugeot Citroën got off to a bumpy start last year, and Automotive News says that the tie-up between the two automakers will be short-lived. Heavy losses from both companies is causing the alliance to be scaled back, but PSA's talks with China's Dongfeng could kill the deal altogether.
Originally, about 40 shared vehicles were planned between Opel, Peugeot and Citroën, but the report says that, in the end, only two will make it to production - small vans like the Opel Meriva and Citroën C4 Picasso. For now, GM and PSA will continue a joint purchasing agreement, but this means that co-developed versions of the next-gen Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208 and Citroën C3 small cars are dead. Instead, another AN report says that GM will intensify its efforts to develop future Opel products on its own, which includes said next-gen Corsa that will reportedly switch from its current Fiat-based platform to GM's Global Gamma platform shared with the Chevy Spark and Buick Encore.
It isn't clear what would happen with the shared vehicles and joint purchasing, though, if Dongfeng manages to acquire a 30-percent stake in PSA/Peugeot Citroën. Dongfeng is a Chinese rival to SAIC Motor, which works with GM in China. While this soured deal mostly has implications for small cars in Europe, we wonder what it means for GM's fullsize commercial van plans in the US.