Berlingo moves to Picasso platform

The new Berlingo will be built on the same basic platform as the C4 Picasso. Citroen has announced that the new model will -- in the short term -- be sold in parallel with the current car which is to be renamed Berlingo First.

Citroen credits the Berlingo's success in Australia for the gradual migration away from smaller Japanese vans such as the Nissan Vanette and Toyota Townace.

The new Berlingo will capitalise on its Picasso parentage by offering improved flexibility and load-carrying capacity over the current model. Citroen cites an increased load length of 3.0 metres, a larger load volume (increased from 3.0 to 3.3 cubic metres) and a heavier payload (raised from 800 to 850kg).

A people mover version of the Berlingo has been available in other markets and the new model will continue to offer passenger-carrying variants in the range. Whether the people mover will reach Australia this time around is yet to be declared. Depending on price and specification, the Berlingo people mover would come up against Volkswagen's Caddy, Skoda's Roomster and Renault's Scenic.

The new Berlingo does away with the folding rear bench seat of the current people mover variant and makes do with three individual adult-sized seats that can be removed from the vehicle altogether -- a further legacy of the Picasso influence.

Specifications for the Australian market won't be announced until closer to the launch, but expect standard ABS and turbodiesel power.