1981 Citroen 2cv Charleston - (collector Series) on 2040-cars

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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.

Citro"en C4 Picasso arrives lighter, roomier and Euro 6-approved [w/video]

The 2013 Citroën C4 Picasso brings some unexpected company to the new 2014 Jeep Cherokee and its novel headlight arrangement. And since two such designs are rarely an accident in vehicle design, we'll say this could be a trend. More traditionally, the C4 Picasso brings smaller dimensions outside, more space inside, lighter weight and more technology to Europe's small people-mover game.
Built on PSA-Peugeot/Citroën's Efficient Modular Platform 2, it's lost 140 kilograms (308 pounds) so it weighs as much - or as little - as the Citroën C3 Picasso and its new design has an air drag index that's better than the Audi R8 and Ford GT. The wheelbase is stretched, the front overhang is reduced by 70 millimeters, and the lower position of the engine and floor drop the center of gravity and the wider track makes for a more aggressive stance and delivers better handling.
Inside, the do-it-all center stack is topped by a 12-inch high-definition screen augmented by a seven-inch touchscreen. The dividers in the two-tone instrument panel are black on the driver's side and Champagne or Ardoise on the passenger side. The info display on the larger screen is reconfigurable, while the smaller, seven-inch screen controls functions like the air conditioning, navigation and Multicity Connect apps. The first row of seats is patterned to look like a one-piece bench, the second row can move fore and aft, standard trunk space is a around 19 cubic feet and the tailgate made of composites opens and closes electronically. Airiness is ensured by the panoramic windscreen and glass roof.

Russian company starts Citroen production at former Stellantis factory

MOSCOW — Russian company Automotive Technologies announced it had started assembling Citroen C5 Aircross models in batches at a plant south of Moscow formerly owned by Stellantis, with the cars set to be sold in dealerships from May. Reuters exclusively reported in February, citing customs data and two people familiar with the matter, that Automotive Technologies had imported at least 42 car kits from China for assembling Citroen models at the plant. Manufactured in China, the kits were produced by China's Dongfeng Motor Group, the data showed. Stellantis reiterated its response to Reuters in February, that it had concluded since Dec. 31, 2023, that it had "lost control of its entities in Russia." "On March 27, batch assembly of Citroen C5 Aircross crossovers started at the factory in Kaluga," Automotive Technologies said in a statement. "The cars will arrive in the salons of official Citroen dealers in May 2024, but it's possible to book a car as soon as April." The developments highlight the lack of control Western companies have over their brands after suspending Russian operations or leaving the country since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and demonstrate Moscow's increasing dependence on Beijing, particularly in the car industry. In February, Stellantis said it recognized a loss of 144 million euros ($155.75 million) from losing its Russian operations, including 87 million euros of cash and cash equivalents. Chinese trade data for 2023 shows that exports of cars to Russia were almost seven times higher than in 2022, with the value of those exports jumping by almost $10 billion. Dongfeng and Stellantis, the world's third-largest automaker by revenue, operate a commercial joint venture in China, through which Dongfeng can build and sell Stellantis cars in China.   Plants/Manufacturing Citroen Russia Stellantis