2010 Citroen C3 news, pictures, and information

The new Citroën C3 represents an upmarket shift by Citroën towards the highest levels of B-§egmènt comfort and prestige. Retaining some of the familiar lines of its predecessor, the tauter and sleeker new C3 takes inspiration from B-§egmènt premium models and from the sector above. The result is a stylish and contemporary design that places an emphasis on quality, sophistication and fun.

The design of the body is much more dynamic, wîth smooth lines flowing over chrome trimmed surfaces. There's even chrome detailing at the top of the panoramic Zenith windscreen where it meets the roof. The new look is underpinned by the gaping front grill, the incisive boomerang-shaped headlights and emphatically drawn wings, which help to give new Citroën C3 its purposeful, low-slung stance.

Catering for a wide range of customer preferences, buyers can personalise their new Citroën C3 wîth a choice of ten elegant body colours. There is also a choice of stylish alloy wheels, wîth 15' alloys available on VTR+ models and either 16' or 17' alloys on Exclusive versions.

STYLE - INTERIOR

Inside the cabin, Citroën's designers have focused on quality and comfort, wîth a stylish and sophisticated interior tailored wîth chrome and gloss black trim, and a choice of four upholstery styles - including a leather seat option.

The flowing lines of the exterior are mirrored in the smooth horizontal dashboard design, which combines chic styling wîth high-tech appeal and is finished wîth either a brushed steel or chrome strip that runs the full width of the car.

The new Citroën C3 is designed for an enjoyable driving experience. From the comfort of the contoured seats, the driver looks through the sculpted §teering wheel to a brand new instrument cluster design, which sports two analogue dials and an LED display - wîth a floating visor above to shield them from glare.

PANORAMIC ZENITH WINDSCREEN

VTR+ and Exclusive models, as well as the Airdream+ Special Edition, all feature the innovative panoramic Zenith windscreen, which dominates the car's appearance from every forward angle. Únique to the market, this massive screen opens up new perspectives and sensations for all occupants.

Soaring 1.35m from bonnet to roof, the panoramic Zenith windscreen is 36% bigger than a normal screen on an average 5-door small car and the angle from the driver's eye line to the top of the windscreen is a huge 108° instead of the §egmènt average 28°.

Coupled wîth slim A-pillars, the curved glazed area offers unrivalled visibility - wîth obvious safety benefits - and gives occupants a truly panoramic view of the world. Progressive tinting across the top 25cm of the screen ensures optimal protection from overhead sunlight. A sunblind, featuring two sun-visors, can easily be pulled forwards when driving in low-angle sun conditions.

QÚALITY

With breakthrough levels of quality, the new Citroën C3 was benchmarked by its designers against models from the §egmènt above. The huge leap in refinement stems from the special attention paid to the quality of the finishes and materials used - such as on the 'soft-touch' upper dashboard. Throughout the interior, the new Citroën C3 is inspired by cues from upper §egmènt vehicles, delivering the highest levels of comfort and prestige.

To maintain a calm and peaceful ambience in the cabin, the levels of soundproofing are amongst the best in the §egmènt. Mechanical vibration, as well as noise from the road, have all been minimised and the engine compartment has three times as much sound-absorbent material (155 dm²) compared to the outgoing C3 (48dm²).

New Citroën C3's occupants can be are bathed in light both day and night. Interior mood lighting is available to create a warm and welcoming night-time driving atmosphere in the cabin. Automatically adjusted by an integrated rheostat, the light sources are located in the central console and front foot-wells.

An integrated air freshener helps maintain a fresh and pleasant aroma in the cabin and is a luxurious little touch to enhance the sense of well-being on-board. With a range of available perfumes, the system can continually diffuse a light fragrance into the passenger compartment via the air vents.

SPACE

The new Citroën C3 is one of the most compact models in the §egmènt at just 3.94m long, 1.73m wide and 1.52m high, and also offers one of the most generous cabin environments in its class for both occupant space and load volume.

The intelligent design of the car's internal architecture utilises the best of Citroën creativity to generate the maximum amount of useable space. For example, the recessed lower dashboard frees legroom for the front passenger, which means they can sit further forward, creating more legroom for back seat passengers. The slim design of the front seat backs creates an additional 3cm of legroom in the rear and the semi-raised front seating position also creates space under the seats for rear passenger's feet.

The 300-litre boot, wîth its optimised design, is the biggest in the §egmènt and offers easy loading - thanks to the lowered boot sill (only 22.7cm from the floor of the boot to the top of the sill), and the increased width of the boot aperture (104cm). For secure stowage, the boot also has four lashing rings and can be equipped wîth a removable load net. To increase rear load space, the 60:40 split-folding rear seats can be tumbled down wîth one hand in a single effortless movement using levers accessed from either the boot or the back seats. With the rear seats down it is possible to load boxes up to 1029 x 1189 x 689mm in size.

Providing convenient storage throughout the cabin, the new C3 is fitted wîth front and rear door cubby holes, compartments in the central fascia and central armrest, as well as a handy sliding drawer beneath the front passenger seat.

EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE

One of Citroën's key objectives in the development of new Citroën C3 was to maximise efficiency. A design emphasis was placed on minimising the car's overall weight and optimising the aerodynamic performance - new Citroën C3 boasts a Cd of 0.30 - helping the model to deliver excellent fuel economy and low CO2 emissions.

With its agile frame and optimised aerodynamic profile, new Citroën C3 is effortless to manoeuvre wîth a responsive feel. Útilising Citroën's extensive knowledge of combining smooth road manners wîth precise handling, new C3's MacPherson-type front suspension, new rear axle wîth flexible traverse beam and variable electric power §teering, all combine to strike the best balance between ride comfort and road holding. The refined running gear benefits from a range of suspension settings adapted to the power and torque of each engine. Light §teering at low speeds and the 10.2m turning circle make the new Citroën C3 an ideal vehicle for city driving.

Benefitting from Citroën's family of efficient power-plants, the new C3 will be offered wîth an extensive choice of four petrol engines and three HDi diesels, wîth a Special Edition Airdream+ 1.6HDi 90hp available from launch emitting just 99g/km of CO2 - the first production Citroën to emit less than 100g/km.

The three critically acclaimed HDi diesels - 1.4HDi 8V 70hp, 1.6HDi 16V 90hp and 1.6HDi 16V 110hp - all emit 115g/km of CO2 or less. The 1.6HDi 16V 110hp and the 1.6HDi 16V 90hp Euro V engines (the latter being specified in the Airdream+), are fitted wîth Citroën's lauded DPFS (Diesel Particulate Filter System).

The four petrol engines - 1.1i 8V 61hp, 1.4i 8V 75hp, 1.4 16V VTi 95hp and 1.6 16V VTi 120hp - emit between 134g/km and 158g/km of CO2. The VTi 95hp and VTi 120hp are from Citroën's family of refined and economical BMW co-developed power-plants.

For drivers keeping a close eye on their fuel costs, the new Citroën C3 delivers excellent combined cycle fuel economy of up to 48.7mpg for petrol models and 74.3mpg for diesel-powered versions.

All engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, apart from the 1.6HDi 16V 110hp, which has a 6-speed manual transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) The 1.6 VTi 120hp is offered wîth a choice of either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions.

From 2011, new Citroën C3 will be available wîth even more efficient power-trains - as well as Citroën's second generation Stop & Start system. Two diesel versions will emit CO2 at just 90g/km and 95g/km, whilst models fitted wîth Citroën's new generation 3-cylinder petrol engines will emit less than 100g/km.

TECHNOLOGY

New Citroën C3 can be specified wîth a range of convenient driver aids, including cruise control wîth speed limiter, the new Gear Efficiency Indicator (GEI) that helps drivers maximise fuel economy and even rear parking sensors. The new C3 is also available wîth Citroën's integrated MyWay satellite navigation and multi-media system, which incorporates European mapping, a wide aspect colour screen, live traffic information and Bluetooth®.

For a rich audio experience, new Citroën C3 can be equipped wîth an all-new Hi-Fi sound system, which features an additional speaker in the centre of the dashboard and an amplified subwoofer in the boot.

Designed for those who like to travel wîth their music library, new C3 is always well connected wîth an auxiliary socket fitted as standard across the range - meaning portable music players can always be hooked up to the car's audio system. Customers can also specify a ÚSB box that features an integrated socket on the central console. This allows users to connect, play and control portable media devices through the car's audio system wîth the song title and information shown on the audio display.

The optional Bluetooth® hands-free equipment allows drivers to stay safely in contact on the road and conveniently enables music stored on mobile phones to be streamed wirelessly through the audio system - without the need for connective cabling.

As a neat example of technology meeting stylish design, Exclusive models equipped wîth the optional Visibility Pack (automatic headlights, automatic wipers and electrochrome interior rear-view mirror), also gain a row of three white LED lights that illuminate the upper dashboard and central console from above.

SAFETY

With high levels of both active and passive safety, including a reinforced cabin structure, the new Citroën C3 is a reassuringly secure environment for both driver and passengers.

For confident stopping power, all models are fitted as standard wîth front ventilated disc brakes and ABS wîth EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) and EBA (Emergency Braking Assistance). Providing even more assured handling in low-grip conditions, ESP is also available.

From the VTR+ trim level, all models are specified as standard wîth six airbags (driver, front passenger, front lateral and curtain), and for the secure fitment of child seats, all models are equipped wîth two Isofix mountings on the rear side seats.

TRIM LEVELS

The new Citroën C3 will be offered in Citroën's three core trim levels - VT, VTR+ and Exclusive - wîth a Special Edition Airdream+ that emits just 99g/km of CO2.

Representing outstanding value-for-money, the entry-level VT models features generous levels of standard equipment, including an MP3-compatible radio/CD player wîth §teering mounted controls, electrically adjustable door mirrors, front electric windows and a multi-function on-board trip computer.

At the heart of the range, the VTR+ trim gains the sensational panoramic Zenith windscreen, air-conditioning, 15' alloy wheels, front fog lights, leather §teering wheel and cruise control wîth speed limiter.

The range-topping Exclusive models offers premium levels of design and comfort wîth additional equipment such as digital air-conditioning, front and rear 'one-touch' electric windows, electrically folding and heated door mirrors, part-Alcantara upholstery, 16' alloy wheels and dark tinted rear windows.

The Special Edition Airdream+ will be Citroën's first production model to emit less than 100g/km of CO2 and represents the greenest choice for the environmentally conscious motorist. Based on the VTR+ trim level, it gains two additional features as standard - rear parking sensors and Bluetooth® wîth ÚSB box.

PRICES

Prices start at just £10,790 for the entry-level 1.1i 61hp VT petrol model, rising to £16,140 for the range-topping 1.6HDi 110hp 6-speed manual Exclusive. At the heart of the model line-up, offering an excellent balance of value and equipment, VTR+ models start at £12,690 for the petrol versions and £13,790 for the HDi-powered equivalent.