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Citroen C1 : French city car a no-go for Australia

The all-new Citroen C1 city car has been revealed ahead of its 2014 Geneva motor show debut - and it appears to have been styled upon the polarising Nissan Juke.


The French brand's new city car adopts a boldly styled "smiling" front end, with high-set oval main lamps and slimmer running lights positioned above in a similar vain to the Japanese brand's city SUV.

Citroen describes the look of the C1 - which is one of a set of triplets to be built on the same underpinnings courtesy of an alliance between Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota - as giving the car a "strong personality".

"With dynamic lines and a cheerful front-end gaze, characterised by its headlights, the C1 is an immediate head-turner. Bi-tone versions and brightly coloured interiors underline the playful character and joie de vivre. The new C1 is unmistakably a member of the new Citroen family," the company stated in a release.

Much like the Peugeot 108 that was revealed last week, the Citroen will be offered in three- and five-door body styles, and will feature a roll-back fabric roof cabriolet model which will be called the C1 Airscape. The roof measures 800mm by 760mm and is available in three colours – red, black or grey. It can be optioned on both three- and five-door versions.

As with its sister models, the C1 is a diminutive thing, measuring just 3480mm long, 1620mm wide and 1450mm tall, and weighing as little as 840kg. The boot is 196 litres, or 780L with the rear seats folded down.

There are no interior images yet, but the inside is fitted with a 7.0-inch touchscreen media system that features “Mirror Screen” technology, which, once a smartphone is connected via USB, can turn the display into a replica of that screen.

Two efficient small output petrol engines will be offered: a 1.2-litre PureTech three-cylinder with about 60kW of power and 118Nm of torque that uses approximately 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres; and a 51kW 1.0-litre that is available with a “clutchless efficient tronic gearbox” that has a claimed fuel use of approximately 3.7L/100km.

Citroen Australia national marketing manager Manuel Tyras said the new model won't be considered for the brand as that segment of the market is not one in which Citroen thinks it should compete.

"No, the C1 won't be coming to Australia. It's not a category we want to play in. But it does show that globally Citroen and PSA are back on the attack with new model releases and product development."

The C1 has never been sold in Australia, but has managed to clock up 760,000 sales worldwide since its launch in 2005.

Citroen's importer and distributor, Sime Darby Automotive, also controls Peugeot in Australia, and that brand's new 108 model is under consideration.

Toyota’s version, the new Aygo, will also be revealed at Geneva. It has already been ruled out for Australia.

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