So while it turns out that PSA is actually not looking to buy Honda’s F1 team (that’s why they call it the rumormill), the brand could have seriously sporting aspirations of a different sort. According to Jean-Pierre Ploué, PSA’s chief designer, there might be a 20-edition run of the GTbyCitroen, the car Citroen created for Sony’s GT5. The game car specs came in at 3,000 pounds and 782 horses, some of those powered by hydrogen. If a real car — actually suggested to be a grand tourer by Citroen’s press release — were built, we hope they opt for a version of the Peugeot 908’s diesel V12. For 700 hp and 800 ft-lbs, we’d have no problem driving a car that looks like a catfish up front and a platypus out back. No matter what they put in it, expect it to be tres chere if it ever gets built.

Continued

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Citroen has revealed the first details of its updated C1 mini that will go on sale across mainland Europe during November/December (depending on the market) and from January 2009 in the UK. The Citroen C1 which is part of the Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo triplets has received some minor styling changes to the front end and in particular a redesigned bumper complementing the looks of the recently updated C2. There are also new alloy wheel designs and trims whilst inside the French automaker upgraded the cabin with new upholstery and materials. Continued

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Citroen is to launch a new micro-hybrid system on the just revealed C3 Picasso. The system was previewed on the pearlescent white and orange C3 Picasso study at the Paris motorshow and will be offered in European in 2010, nearly a year after the launch of the vehicle. When the French say micro-hybrid system, what they actually mean is a new-generation Stop & Start system with a combined alternator-starter unit that allows the recovery of energy during braking and deceleration to recharge the vehicle’s battery without consuming fuel. Citroen claims that with this fairly simple system that will be available on both petrol and diesel models, the C3 Picasso can achieve a fuel economy of 4.0 lt/100km (58.3 mpg US or 70mpg UK) on the combined cycle as well as low CO2 emissions of just 110g/km. Continued

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Proving that some unorthodox concept vehicles can make it into production if the timing is right, Citroen has made it official that it has embarked on a new project to look into the feasibility of producing an ultra-environmentally friendly vehicle based on the C-Cactus concept car that was presented at last year’s Frankfurt motorshow. The French automaker said that it is considering a range of powerplants for it Cayenne-like faced C-Cactus including a 1.0-liter petrol engine with sub 100gr/km CO2 emissions; a HYmotion2 diesel-electric hybrid consuming 2.8lt/100km (83.2mpg US / 100mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of just 78g/km or a zero emissions 100% electric model with a top speed and range of 112 km/h (70mph) and 160km (100 miles) respectively.

The C-Cactus Concept that was shown in Frankfurt was equipped with a hybrid diesel powertrain that combined a 70 HP 1.4-liter diesel engine with a 30 HP electric motor installed in the clutch housing. Apart from the hybrid drivetrain, the C-Cactus also featured a simplified design throughout, significantly reducing the number of components leading to a reduction in weight, cost, fuel consumption and the impact on the environment - sometimes less is more.

Citroen claimed then that the use of fewer parts in the 4.2-meter long C-Cactus not only drops the cost significantly, but equally importantly it results to a 15% reduction in overall weight compared to the C4 Hybrid HDi. The French automaker had announced then the particular C-Cactus hybrid could achieve an average consumption of just 3.4 lt/100 km (69.2mog US) for CO₂ emissions of 78 g/km.

If Citroen’s project gets the final green light, and from what we’ve learned, there’s a strong possibility it will, the C-Cactus will compete in Europe at least, against the Toyota Prius and its like. Continued

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Citroën has a way of making oddball cars. Since the Traction Avant made its front wheel-drive debut back in the ’30s, the French automaker has been bent on offering the weirdest designs on the planet. The 2CV and the classic DS carried on that well-established tradition quite nicely, and recent concepts like the hybrid C-Cactus have continued the trend. And so it is with the automaker’s latest concept, the Hypnos hybrid utility vehicle. With their low-slung appearance and mild off-road pretensions, this style of vehicle has become popular as of late, with brands such as BMW and Infiniti jumping into the fray with it’s-not-a-wagon production vehicles. On the inside, a rainbow of gem-like colors sashays through the center of the interior. It looks pretty trippy. Powering the concept will be a hybrid drivetrain with an internal combustion engine of 200-horsepower. We have no details quite yet as to what batteries or motors drive the other half of the powertrain, but we’re sure to find out more details in Paris when the concept makes its debut.

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We’ve grown rather accustomed to seeing special-edition MV Agusta Brutales, but this is the first time that one has featured four wheels. MV Agusta and Citroën have teamed up to produce a two-door hatchback show car called the C2 1587 Brutale. The naming scheme and the color pallete are clearly inspired by what is arguably Italy’s hottest naked bike, the MV Agusta 1078 RR Brutale. We’re not clear on what other tie-in exists between the two vehicles beyond that, though. Featuring a 1.6 liter 16-valve engine with 125 hp, the C2 1587 Brutale’s power output is nowhere near as impressive as its two-wheeled inspiration. We do like the interior, which features plenty of black leather and alcantara with red outlines and stitching. Ultimately, we feel that this is one mash-up that the world probably could have done without.

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