Ken Gratton•2 Oct 2012
NEWS
PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Citroen's C4-based sedan panders to Chinese
C4 L to open up new market opportunities in the Far EastCitroen has joined the growing throng of European manufacturers taking a serious interest in China. The Asian market is growing fast, and its appetite for cars with some sort of exclusivity or distinction is growing almost as fast. It's already been a lifeline for GM brand Buick, one of the General Motors divisions on the chopping block around the time of the GFC.
China has not just come to the rescue of Buick, but now looks set to boost global sales of Citroen through the C4 hatch-based C4 L – 'L' for 'Lounge' – sedan unveiled in Paris yesterday.
Sedans sell in China; hatchbacks don't. Like the Americans (is this the one and only point of convergence between the two countries?), the Chinese like their passenger cars to come with the occupants well insulated from the luggage and the sort of road noise often encountered in hatchbacks. They don't care if there's a bit more bum hanging out behind the axle, but two things they do insist on: the car must be affordable to purchase, it must be affordable to run and it must have a bit more legroom for the Laoban who sits in the back.
Enter the C4 L; a purpose-developed sedan styled in China for the Chinese market (although also developed in Europe, according to Citroen's press material). There's a 10cm stretch of the wheelbase and the boot yields a commendable 440 litres of luggage capacity. Either diesel or petrol power will be offered, along with a six-speed auto for the BMW-sourced diesel and a choice of five-speed manual or the six-speed auto for the 1.8-litre petrol four-cylinder.
The C4 L will be built at Wuhan in China for a late-2012 launch, and at Kaluga in Russia, where it will also go on sale next year.
During the Citroen presentation at the Paris show, MD Frederic Banzet introduced another C4-based sedan, the C-Elysee. This car, to be launched at the end of the year, will be built at Citroen's Vigo plant in Spain and will be exported.
Citroen has specified two petrol engines and one diesel for the C-Elysee: The PureTech VTi 72 and VTi 115 petrol engines and the HDi 92 diesel.
As reported previously for the Paris show Citroen also rolled out its DS3 Cabrio and the Numero 9 show car first seen in Beijing back in April. The DS3 Cabrio offers the ability to open and close the roof at speeds up to 120km/h, without losing the car's hatchback practicality. Closing the roof takes 16 seconds and Citroen reports the added weight to optimise body strength is just 25kg.
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Written byKen Gratton
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