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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.

2014 Citro"en C4 Picasso proves MPVs can be beautiful

Jelly-bean shape aside, the Citroën C4 Picasso is one people mover we wouldn't be ashamed to drive. It looks like a concept car, except it isn't - it's just a five-passenger MPV that's meant to get a family about as quickly and comfortably as possible. The stylish new Picasso first arrived in April, representing the second generation of the French MPV, and packing a range of small four-cylinder gas and diesel engines. We won't dig into all six engines, but we can promise you this: there's not a hot version of this Citroën.
With it being shown on the Frankfurt show floor, these photos represent the first live look we've had at the C4 Picasso since it arrived at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show as the Technospace Concept. The production form has largely stayed true to the concept's sleek, stylish design. The C4 is far more successful at the twin headlight design that Jeep is trying to make work, while the aerodynamic figure is as flattering as a little, black dress.
The C4 Picasso has just the sort of design flair that we appreciate about French cars, and is one of the big reasons we wouldn't mind seeing them on US roads. Take a look up top for a full gallery of live images from Frankfurt, and then scroll down below for the gallery provided by Citroën, along with a press release and a video staring the new C4 Picasso.

Stellantis ready to kill brands and fix U.S. problems, CEO Tavares says

  MILAN — Stellantis is taking steps to fix weak margins and high inventory at its U.S. operations and will not hesitate to axe underperforming brands in its sprawling portfolio, its chief executive Carlos Tavares said on Thursday. The warning for lossmaking brands is a turnaround for Tavares, who has maintained since Stellantis was created in 2021 from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA that all of its 14 brands including Maserati, Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep have a future. "If they don't make money, we'll shut them down," Carlos Tavares told reporters after the world's No. 4 automaker delivered worse-than-expected first-half results, sending its shares down as much as 10%. "We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money." The automaker now also considers China's Leapmotor as its 15th brand, after it agreed to a broad cooperation with the group. Stellantis does not release figures for individual brands, except for Maserati which reported an 82 million euro adjusted operating loss in the first half. Some analysts say Maserati could possibly be a target for a sale by Stellantis, while other brands such as Lancia or DS might be at risk of being scrapped given their marginal contribution to the group's overall sales. Stellantis' Milan-listed shares were down as much as 12.5% on Thursday, hitting their lowest since August 2023. That brings the loss for the year so far to 22%, making them the worst performer among the major European automakers. Few automotive brands have been killed off since General Motors ditched the unprofitable Saturn and Pontiac during a U.S. government-led bankruptcy in the global financial crisis in 2008. Tavares is under pressure to revive flagging margins and sales and cut inventory in the United States as Stellantis bets on the launch of 20 new models this year which it hopes will boost profitability. Recent poor results from global carmakers have heightened worries about a weakening outlook for sales across major markets such as the U.S., whilst they also juggle an expensive transition to electric vehicles and growing competition from cheaper Chinese rivals. Japan's Nissan Motor saw first-quarter profit almost completely wiped out on Thursday and slashed its annual outlook, as deep discounting in the United States shredded its margins. Tavares said he would be working through the summer with his U.S. team on how to improve performance and cut inventory.