One of the four hybrid drive vehicles shown by the PSA group at last fall's Paris Motor show was version of its C4 WRC rally car. Like the others it used the HYbrid4 through-the-road architecture. The regular internal combustion engine drives the front wheels and a 167 hp electric motor drives the rear axle. A lithium ion battery pack with 990 cells sits above the fuel tank in the middle of the race car. Following the team's victory in the Portugal Rally, driver Dani Sordo took the experimental hybrid racer out on two of the special stages that were used for the rally to evaluate it.

The test was deemed a success with Sordo running the car in internal combustion, regenerative braking, combined boost, and electric only modes. Currently, WRC rules don't allow for hybrid drive systems, but Citroen will continue to develop and test the system in order to be ready in case the rules are changed.


[Source: Citroen]

Citroën and Peugeot have been putting out small, efficient vehicles for many years. At this weekend's H2Roma, the PSA group will talk about the green vehicles it hopes to bring to market in the future. H2Roma is an annual sustainable mobility and the PSA group's press release announcing its participation (pasted in full after the jump) gives us a compact rundown on how the companies will make future cars even cleaner. Check out the list:

• Continued improvement of gasoline and diesel powered internal combustion engines
• Second generation micro-hybrid technology on all cars by 2010
• Full diesel hybrid technology in 2011
• Preparation for the future Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV)

They just get better as you move down the list, don't they? Lots of potential problems to actually achieving these goals, but the diesel hybrid goal is the one I'm most excited about for my new car. Too bad we probably won't see diesel hybrids in the U.S. anytime soon.



[Source: PSA Peugeot Citroen]

In 2010, Citroën's new diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain should be implemented in the company's C4 line. Until then, we'll have to make due with C4s like the new Sillage special series. The Sillage launches in France today with a heap of features (GPS navigation, 30 GB media/map hard drive, 16-inch alloy wheels, reverse radar) and six engine choices. The options are: 1.4i 16V and 1.6i 16V running on petrol and the diesel-drinking HDi 92, HDi 110, HDi 110 DPFS and HDi 110 DPFS with the 6-speed EGS.

Related:

• Peugeot Citroën sales dip slightly, but the C4 debut goes well
• Citroën announces new "by LOEB" C4 and C2 models
• Citroën C4 Picasso wins MPV of the Year, and it's not even out yet

[Source: Citroën]

Peugeot Citroën's overall sales were down seven-tenths of a percent last year, but the Citroën C4 Picasso was launched successfully last October. That's good to hear, as I've been paying special attention to news about the C4. The reason I'm excited about C4 news is that potential of the C4 prototype that we learned about last year. The prototype features something called Stop & Start technology, which shuts the diesel-hybrid engine down when the car stops moving and automatically starts up again when you push down on the gas pedal. PSA says the production version should be on dealer lots in 2010. The C4's current 45 mpg rating (on diesel) should be boosted to around 84 mpg with Stop & Start. PSA says that the C4 Picasso sold over 24,000 units in the last quarter of 2006. Sales of the marque's compact line-up (which includes the C1, C2, C3 and C3 Pluriel) also grew, with unit sales gaining 3.9 percent.

Related:

• Citroën C4 Picasso wins MPV of the Year, and it's not even out yet

[Source: PSA Peugeot Citroën]

While we wait for the new Citroën C4 models (which should have the Efficient-C diesel-hybrid engine and Start & Stop technology) to come along in a few years, the company isn't letting the small cars sit idle until then. Citroën announced today it is launching two new special C2 and C4 series models with a "by LOEB" signature.

The cars are named after Citroën driver Sebastian Loeb (what a nice name, don't you think?) who won the World Rally Championship driver's title in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Citroen says that Loeb's "numerous triumphs" enhance the company's image, and the special editions do look pretty sweet. The by LOEB models' trim and style differ from the standard C2 and C4.

Read the entire specifications and see more pictures after the jump.

Related:

• Citroën C4 Picasso wins MPV of the Year, and it's not even out yet
• GreenFleet 2006 awards (con't): Citroën and Vauxhall

[Source: Citroën]

Citroën's upcoming C4 Picasso is already feeling the love from auto magazines. 4x4 & MPV Driver magazine likes the updated minivan (MPV) for a lot of reasons, and voted it the MPV of the Year. The C4 will come with four engine options: 127 bhp DIN 1.8i 16V and 143 bhp DIN 2.0i 16V (both petrol) and 110 bhp DIN 1.6 HDi and 138 bhp DIN 2.0 HDi (both diesel and both with particulate filters) when it comes to the UK early next year. 4x4 & MPV Driver thought the lighting in the car deserved special mention (notice the larger windshield in the photo above?), and so awarded the C4 the MPV Innovation of the Year award.

This is all well and good, but what's really exciting about the C4 is a prototype model that may make its way to dealer lots in 2010. This prototype has a diesel-hybrid engine and will feature Citroën's Stop & Start technology. These fuel-efficient features should bump the C4's current 45 mpg rating (on diesel) to around 84 mpg. That's progress.

[Source: 4x4 & MPV Driver, Citroën]

I mentioned yesterday that a Hyundai Getz beat two Toyota Priuses in a 2006 GreenFleet road test through London. The GreenFleet awards are not just about testing cars against each other, though, but are instead a look back at the year gone past. Two big winners in this year's awards were Citroën (Greenest Car Manufacturer of the Year) and Vauxhall Vans (LCV manufacturer of the year).

Citroën was awarded for its "policy of developing and marketing environmentally-friendly cars that are both practical and affordable," said Sarah Cowell, Editor of GreenFleet magazine. Citroën sells three of the four lowest CO2-emitting diesel cars available in the UK and some Citroën cars (the C2 and C3) have Stop & Start technology, which switches the engine off when the car is at standstill. The upcoming C4 Hybride HDi combines a diesel hybrid engine with Stop & Start technology. A gallon (Imperial) of fuel will move the car 84 miles.

For its part, Vauxhall won because of its ongoing effort to make commercial vehicles (known as LCVs, or Longer Combination Vehicles) that use alternative energy. Vauxhall sells DualFuel LPG models and the Vauxhall Vivaro has a range of Euro IV-compliant diesel engines.

Related:

• Hyundai Getz as efficient as a Toyota Prius in London test

[Source: Citroën, Vauxhall]