So even former Formula One world champions struggle to find their desired seats for the next season. Kimi Raikkonen, who wanted to drive for McLaren after his release from Ferrari, decided to take a sabbatical after McLaren opted to pick up current world champion Jenson Button instead.

So Raikkonen decided that he’d go for some sideways action for next season and joined Citroen’s WRC team. Warming up for the coming season, Raikkonen just completed his first test with the car he’ll be using for his first race as a WRC driver. Raikkonen plowed his Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC through 50 km on a gravel test track.

“It was good to try out a few different things; I was very interested to see how the car reacted when you changed some of the settings,” said Raikkonen.

It will be great to see how a Formula 1 driver cope with the different set of situations in rallying.

The Citroen/Mitsubishi partnership has created a new spawn. Remember the Mitsubishi iMiEV? Meet its other French sibling – the Citroen C-Zero.

Powering the car is a permanent magnetic synchronous motor (paging James May for a boffin’s explanation) that dishes out 47kW (64 bhp in gas-powered terms). But as a kicker, it dishes out 133 lb-ft og torque readily available on the low end.

The car uses 330V lithium-ion battery pack that takes 6 hours to fully charge on a conventional 220V household socket. The car can go 80 miles between charges.

Peugeot has already unveiled its version of the iMiEV dubbed as the iOn. The C-Zero will be available by late 2010.

Citroen has revealed its new C3 supermini, which will feature a vast improvement in terms of appearance in order to grab a bigger share in the B-segment market. The new C3 is expected to be launched at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new C3’s appearance was made sportier and more dynamic, for good reason. “To appeal more to men it has a better stance,” says the new C3’s project chief Pierre Budar. “The track is wider. But it’s still recognizable as a C3. The rounded shape has stayed. It still stands out in its segment.”

Citroen is expected to offer the new C3 with the current 1.4 HDI and 1.6 HDI turbodiesel power plants. In addition, the company is looking at offering an HDI diesel good for 90 brake horsepower and emits a mere 99g/Km of CO2 emissions. That’s an astounding figure, and with that, the C3 should easily become the first mainstream Citroen that goes below 100g/Km of CO2.

Interestingly, the new C3 didn’t make much use of prototypes. “We did a lot more work on the computer,” said Budar. “The first vehicles we tested were already pre-production cars built with the production tools, new method obviously saves a lot of money.”

The GT by Citroen supercar, which originated from the PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5 and subsequently brought to real life, took to the streets of London in the car’s first official appearance in the United Kingdom.

The supercar made the rounds through some of London’s landmarks, including the Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.

The promotion leads up to the GT by Citroen’s participation at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which will be held from July 3 to 5. Goodwood will be its last stop in a planned schedule, after already participating in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and in the Grande Parade des Pilotes.

The GT by Citroen has had a considerable following, and there is substantial interest that could make production of the car viable. Citroen already stated that they are strongly considering producing the car, albeit in limited numbers and with an as-of-yet unknown timetable. Hopefully, Citroen has something to drop at Goodwood.

Citroen has unveiled the world’s first diesel hybrid. The Citroen Hypnos concept will be the first car to utilize this drivetrain, which will start production by 2011 and should be available for a variety of Citroen models.

The car is powered by a standard 2.0-liter turbodiesel that produces 200 brake horsepower as it drives the front wheels. Mounted at the back, though, is a 50-bhp electric motor that draws power from a nickel-hydride battery. The powertrain is mated to an electronically-actuated manual transmission, since a standard automatic transmission will consume too much power.

Citroen puts the Hypnos’ efficiency at an impressive 62.7mpg. CO2 emission levels are also expected to be under the 120g/Km level. This diesel hybrid powertrain will initially be available for the Citroen DS5.

Citroen believes it can still make some significant changes to the diesel hybrid system before launch. This highly-efficient system sure is a big step for the company. The next step for Citroen, though, should be plug-in technology—but that’s still a long way off.

Source: Autocar

French car manufacturer Citroën has started running its new hybrid C4 WRC car through testing, indicating the company’s preparations for any future adaptation of environmentally-friendly technologies in WRC rules.

The hybrid C4 rally car completed its first rally course under Dani Sordo, Citroën’s factory driver. The course was an asphalt rally stage after the Rally of Portugal, with Sordo using the car’s electric mode for public road sections. Sordo was impressed with the car, adding that “in electric mode, you can drive through villages without making the slightest noise, which is very unusual for a competition car.”

Aside from the C4 WRC car’s standard petrol engine, there’s also a 125kW electric motor with power coursing from a 990-cell lithium ion battery. It also has KERS-like technology, with the energy from braking able to be utilized as a torque boost.

“Citroën Racing wanted to show its ability to adapt this technology to motorsport,” said Citroën engineer Didier Raso. “If at any point in the future the regulations permit the use of hybrid technology, we will be able to react straight away.”

Citroen has made a one-off C4 hatch in the livery of Premiere League football team Arsenal FC, featuring illustrations by English cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. The one-of-a-kind car will be raffled for the benefit of the Teenage Cancer Trust, Arsenal’s Charity of the Season.

Likenesses of Arsenal team manager Arsene Wenger and players Gael Clichy, Manuel Almunia, and Robin Van Persie are also depicted on the hatch itself. Scarfe said that getting to know the team and its heritage “inspired” his design. Van Persie said that everybody contributed ideas to the design, and this, along with the charity, made the car more special and “wonderful”.

Tickets for the raffle cost £2, and players from the team, as well as the artist, hope that the fans will buy many tickets to get a crack at winning the car. Fans and raffle entrants have a chance to say what they want to have in the interior, by visiting http://www.arsenal.com/tctcitroenc.

With all those die-hard fans (that’d include me!), this fund-raiser will most probably be a success. Hey, it’s for a good cause. A bit hypocritical though since this is probably the only time you’d see a footballer with a Citroen. Many of these footballers always drive around in cock cars themselves. Haha.

Source: Motor Torque

PSA Peugeot Citroen has formalized a partnership with Bosch, the German company that makes diverse innovative technologies, to create a fully-functional diesel hybrid vehicle—something that can emerge as early as 2011.

Bosch will be the supplier of the hybrid technology for use in Citroen diesel hybrids. This includes the electric drivetrains and other electrical systems. Additionally, Bosch will be responsible for the anti-lock braking systems and electric power steering components.

This will be a leap for hybrid technology, being the first dedicated effort to produce a diesel hybrid, which is deemed to be more fuel-efficient than current petrol-hybrids. Moreover, Peugeot is testing ways to reduce weight while providing all-wheel drive functionality. As things stand, the AWD diesel-hybrid vehicles in development will utilize the internal combustion engine for front wheel power while the rear wheels will be driven by the electric motor.

The Citroen Hypnos Hybrid, which debuted at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, is the precursor diesel-hybrid vehicle. In a preview of things to come, the Hypnos Hybrid has a healthy mix of power and fuel-efficiency: 200 horsepower and an astounding 68 mpg.

Source: Left Lane

The Citroën Berlingo Multispace was recently hailed as the 4×4 & MPV Driver magazine’s MPV of the Year for 2009, being praised for a multitude of aspects including space, style, and value for money.

“What the original Berlingo Multispace started back in 1998, the new version builds on in every way,” said Bob Murray, editor of 4×4 & MPV Driver magazine. “Even more practical and a lot more refined and nicer to drive, it’s the family car most families will ever need.”

The magazine cited the different factors than pushed the Berlingo Multispace over its other competitors: the high-capacity load space, great styling, total comfort, modular layout, and bang-for-the-buck.

Meanwhile, Citroën also bagged the Best Concept Car award with its highly-touted Hypnos Concept crossover. “Rarely have design and technology come together to such effect as in the Hypnos,” Murray commented. “It’s a 62mpg stunner that shouts: ‘Drive me’. He added that the judges were “especially taken” by the Hypnos’ elegance and fuel-efficiency, saying that it is really the kind that “makes sense in Europe”.

Source: Motor Torque

Citroen’s city car, the Citroen C1, is set to undergo a makeover for 2009. Among the things to watch out for are new car materials and a different, more efficient engine.

The new edition, available early next year, will showcase a larger front grille and new headlight assemblies. Upholstery and cabin materials will also replace the current fare. The bodywork will reportedly feature new alloys. These physical changes may help lessen the similarities it has with the Toyota Aygo and the Peugeot 107, manufactured in the joint-venture facilities of the three marques.

Aside from the looks department, the new C1 will also sport a brand-spanking-new engine, which will guarantee better fuel-efficiency and lesser emissions. Citroen stated that the C1 will have a new 1.0-liter engine that can provide nearly 63 mpg, up from 61 mpg in current models. The emissions are down in the new model, from 108g/km to 106g/km.

Anytime a car gets upgrades both on its looks and on its performance, that’s a win-win situation. Of course, expect the 2009 C1’s price tag to be a bit heftier than the current one.

Source: Autocar

Oh and would you look at that. This is clearly the appeal of gaming and virtual worlds affecting even real automakers. Citroen featured the rabid looking Citroen GT in the Paris Motor Show. But don’t get all too excited if you happen to be a car enthusiast look into buying the car. Driving it will only cost you less than $50.

Yes, that’s $50 bucks. Via a PlayStation through the upcoming Gran Turismo label. Citroen built the concept as a model for the virtual Citroen GT to be included in the car roster of the Gran Turismo game. Sadly, Citroen won’t be making a production version though. But what an interesting looking car this GT is.

The car features 21-inch diamond effect alloy rims, gullwing doors and a movable spoiler. Its virtual version, it will be a fuel cell vehicle with an electric drivetrain. Now can’t we just hope that Citroen actually makes this one for real.

Oh my. It don’t know if it’s a good thing Top Gear has ended this season’s run and will resume airing in the fall. Remember how they’d demote footballer’s (uhm, soccer players’) cars in the Cool Wall? With this bit of news, any Citroen car (goodbye, C4) will never be cool at least for the next three years.

Top-flight English football team Arsenal has signed a three year contract with the French auto maker to be the club’s official supplier. So probably we’ll see Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie driving Citroens starting this coming season. What a way to make cool players look uncool.

Citroen branding will be added to the Emirates stadium as part of the deal and the carmaker will also integrate Arsenal in its marketing, dealer, and promotional activities.

What a bummer! Hey, I like Arsenal but come on… Citroen?

Source: Arsenal News

Now I’m beginning to think that automakers are really taking the “green” idea and stretching it until it’s probably more than wafer thin. Taking a spot at the Frankfurt Motor Show (which is really, really just around the corner) is the Citroen C-Cactus Concept.

Going by the “green” idea, the C-Cactus is described as an ecological car made from recycled and recyclable material. As for the numbers, it can get you 69 MPG with CO2 emmissions of 78g/km. It’s quite small, measuring 4.2m long and 1.8m wide, weighing only 1,306 kg. The concept features a hybrid HDi drivetrain.

As far as the design is concerned, I’d have to ask what the heck was Citroen thinking here. I’ve seen some cacti that look a lot more attractive than this little bugger. Just look at its mangled mug. The front grill makes it look like a Gremlin doesn’t it? While it features comforts like climate control, panoramic glass sunroof, cruise control and a speed limiter, the design alone makes me not want to buy one (given if I have the money).

Good thing this is only a concept and I hope this doesn’t go to production.

Source: Citroen

French automaker Citroën will be showcasing their convertible concept in Frankfurt this September. If there’s anything that we can tell about the C5 Airscape is that, it will more likely be a hint of what’s to come with the next C5 sedan when it comes out.

The concept is powered by 2.7-liter V6 diesel engine that can dish out 208 hp. Green advocates will be happy knowing that it will be fitted with the UrbanHybrid system. The UrbanHybrid uses regenerative energy to power the air-conditioning and the audio setup. The C5 Airscape would also have an advanced traction system that can provide four-wheel-drive-like handling.

So far, I’m liking the drop-top’s design. It’s sleek yet presents itself with power and aggression. But I seem to like it better with the top so I guess that’s a bonus if the hardtop would follow suit with the C5 Airscape’s design.

Source: Edmunds Inside Line