Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Robert Kah
In recent months, Citroen has shown interest in the lucrative Chinese car market. A brand new sedan has been built specifically for Asia, soon to be followed by a locally assembled large SUV. That's sad news for the thousands of workers who have been laid of by the company and for the millions of double-chevron fans who have been loyal over the years. This brand new city car is, I think, a fantastic way to say "we're sorry, here's something very European".
Making its debut in Geneva, the C1 is one third of a tag team which also includes the Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo. While the design is inspired by the new C4 Picasso, its essence seems to spring up from a much deeper and older reservoir: cars like the Saxo and the C2, icons of city transportation.
The C1 is Citroen's smallest car in the lineup. Going on sale later this year, it will measure 3.46 meters long, 1.62 meters wide and has a 4.8-meter turning circle, a fantastic achievement that might make maneuvering busy streets a breeze. Like the Peugeot 108, the C1 is really light, weight as little as 840 kilograms (1,851 lbs).
So what about the practical side? Offered as both a 3- and 5-door, the C1 is better than a Fiat 500 in this respect. That doesn't give it a monopoly in any way, nor does the 196-liter boot, which is well below those of the VW Up! and Hyundai i10, both offering around 250 liters. But while it's not brilliant, the C1 is not bad either. Fold the bench and you get 780 liters, more than enough for any weekly shopping spree.
Engine choices come in two forms, the base unit bing the 1-liter from Toyota. Called the "e-VTi 68 Airdream" it's mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and features Stop/Start tech. The other engine is from PSA, the 1.2-liter VTi 82 with 118 Nm (87 lb-ft) of torque and capable of averaging 4.3 l/100 km. This is the fastest version of the C1, taking 11 seconds to reach 100 km/h.
Last year, Citroen sold 57,000 C1s in Europe. We expect this fresh look will win back at least 25% more customers in the first full year of sales. By French standards, this is a cool car… just as long as you don't see the Juke in its eyes.
The C1 is Citroen's smallest car in the lineup. Going on sale later this year, it will measure 3.46 meters long, 1.62 meters wide and has a 4.8-meter turning circle, a fantastic achievement that might make maneuvering busy streets a breeze. Like the Peugeot 108, the C1 is really light, weight as little as 840 kilograms (1,851 lbs).
So what about the practical side? Offered as both a 3- and 5-door, the C1 is better than a Fiat 500 in this respect. That doesn't give it a monopoly in any way, nor does the 196-liter boot, which is well below those of the VW Up! and Hyundai i10, both offering around 250 liters. But while it's not brilliant, the C1 is not bad either. Fold the bench and you get 780 liters, more than enough for any weekly shopping spree.
Engine choices come in two forms, the base unit bing the 1-liter from Toyota. Called the "e-VTi 68 Airdream" it's mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and features Stop/Start tech. The other engine is from PSA, the 1.2-liter VTi 82 with 118 Nm (87 lb-ft) of torque and capable of averaging 4.3 l/100 km. This is the fastest version of the C1, taking 11 seconds to reach 100 km/h.
Last year, Citroen sold 57,000 C1s in Europe. We expect this fresh look will win back at least 25% more customers in the first full year of sales. By French standards, this is a cool car… just as long as you don't see the Juke in its eyes.
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