Four years ago, Citroen started the whole stop/start trend when it introduced the technology on its C2 and C3 cars. Since then, many other automakers have picked up on the new green-tech, which shuts the engine off when it is not needed as opposed to letting it idle away. When regenerative braking is added to take a load off the engine's alternator in recharging the vehicle's battery, Citroen considers it micro hybrid technology. The only thing it's missing from being a full hybrid is an oversized electric motor that can help move the vehicle along at low speeds. The benefits of the micro hybrid technology are reduced fuel consumption and emissions and lower cost than other hybrid technology.

In 2010, Citroen will launch the second generation of its stop/start system on the C3 Picasso. For the first time ever, the micro hybrid system will be available with a diesel engine (complete with particulate filter) and will offer almost 70 mpg on the EU combined cycle as well as low CO₂ emissions of just 110g/km. Expect to see this new, cheaper second-gen micro hybrid system show up on many more models in the near future.


[Source: Citroen]

Traditionally, automakers use the biggest auto shows in their home countries as a platform to display their latest and greatest ideas, both aesthetic and technological. Such was clearly the case this week at the Paris Motor Show for PSA, the parent company of Peugeot and Citroën. One of the technical highlights on the stands of both PSA brands was something called HYmotion4, a new through-the-road hybrid system. HYmotion4 was featured on four different vehicles including the Peugeot RC and Prologue and the Citroën Hypnos and C4 WRC.

The idea of a through-the-road hybrid system is not new and has been used previously by a number of manufacturers. To date however, no mainstream manufacturer has produced such a hybrid configuration. In engineering a car, there are many ways to skin a cat, and judging by the number of examples that PSA showed in Paris, it seems that Peugeot and Citroën may follow this path for production as an alternative to the hybrids being produced by the likes of Toyota, Ford, GM and others. Learn more about through-the-road hybrids after the jump.

[Source: Peugeot]

Citroën today became the first manufacturer competing in the World Rally Championship to announce a hybrid drive WRC competitor. The C4 WRC HyMotion4 adds an electric kinetic energy recovery system to the C4 WRC. A 125kW electric motor generator is geared to the rear axle of the all-wheel-drive rally car while a lithium ion battery pack sits on top of the fuel tank. The motor-generator reduces brake wear and fade by providing regenerative braking capability. When the driver needs bursts of extra power for passing, a button provides instant electric boost. The driver can also enable an electric-only drive mode for use on road sections, particularly in urban or residential areas where noise is a concern. Citroën claims a increased range of up to 25 miles with the hybrid racer and reduced fuel consumption of 30 percent on road stages where the electric drive is used. Because rally cars run under so many different types of conditions all the different operating modes are driver selectable. Citroën hasn't given any hint yet of when or if they will try to run the hybrid WRC car in actual competition.


[Source: Citroën]

Citroën is out this week talking about the new look of its revamped C4, and we're paying attention to the new HDi and enhanced petrol versions that reduce CO₂ emissions and improve fuel economy. The petrol engines - a 1.6 16v VTi 120hp and a 1.6 16v THP 150hp - are the result of Citroën's work with BMW and offer drivers 35 mpg (U.S., combined cycle) and 159g/km of CO₂ with the VTi or 34 mpg (U.S.) and 164g/km with the THP. The THP offers 177lb.ft of torque from just 1,400 to 3,500rpm. On the diesel side of things, the 2.0HDi with standard diesel particulate filter gives us 44 mpg (U.S.) and CO₂ emissions of 140g/km. On the outside, the new C4 gets a front end that mirrors the look of the new C5, along with other changes (see more after the jump).


[Source: Citroen]

Click above to enlarge the Citroën Hypnos rendering

Citroën has a way of making oddball cars. Since the Traction Avant made its front wheel-drive debut back in the '30s, the French automaker has been bent on offering the weirdest designs on the planet. The 2CV and the classic DS carried on that well-established tradition quite nicely, and recent concepts like the hybrid C-Cactus have continued the trend. And so it is with the automaker's latest concept, the Hypnos hybrid utility vehicle. With their low-slung appearance and mild off-road pretensions, this style of vehicle has become popular as of late, with brands such as BMW and Infiniti jumping into the fray with it's-not-a-wagon production vehicles. On the inside, a rainbow of gem-like colors sashays through the center of the interior. It looks pretty trippy. Powering the concept will be a hybrid drivetrain with an internal combustion engine of 200-horsepower. We have no details quite yet as to what batteries or motors drive the other half of the powertrain, but we're sure to find out more details in Paris when the concept makes its debut.

[Source: Carscoop]

Fuel efficiency was the deal closer for the city of Nottingham in the UK, which just purchased over 300 Citroën Dispatch and Relay LCVs. The new fleet vehicles have HDi diesel engines which are certified to use biodiesel blends up to 30 percent. Nottingham City Homes' procurement & operational support manager, Peter Smith, said in a statement (pasted after the jump) that, "thanks to Citroën's clean, fuel efficient HDi diesel engines ... these vehicles are best equipped to play a key role in an on-going programme to reduce our carbon footprint."

The LCVs also have Citroën's "Fleet Director" system, which will allow a central office to dispatch the van that is closest to the job site, saving fuel by reducing the number of miles traveled. Most of Nottingham's new work vehicles are Relay 35 L3H2 120hp panel vans, but the city also took delivery of some "Relay Luton vans, tippers and dropside trucks, as well as more than 100 Dispatch L1H1 panel vans."

[Source: Citroën]

What Ford has done with its Econetic moniker and Volkswagen has done it with its BlueMotion name, Citroën will attempt to copy by releasing its Airdream collection of vehicles. From its smallest model, the diminutive C1, to the full-size Grand C4 Picasso, expect to see the Airdream badge on as many as fifty models. While we are all for notifying consumers of added technology or features which improve the environmentally friendliness of a vehicle, we wonder out loud if Citroën's Airdream label is spread a bit too thin on this many vehicles. After all, the criteria which is used to determine a model's suitability for the badge seems a bit arbitrary:

• CO₂ emissions of less than 120g/km or,
• Fitted with diesel particulate filter system (DPFS) with CO₂ below 158g/km or,
• Run on superethanol E85 or,
• Fitted with Stop & Start technology
  

And:

• Manufactured in an ISO 14001 certified factory.
• Designed to be 95% recoverable (recycling and energy recovery) at end of life.

So, by fitting stop/start on a vehicle which emits way more than 120g/km of carbon emissions, the vehicle will still qualify for the Airdream badge. Doesn't sound all that impressive. The Citroen press release is after the jump.

[Source: Citroën]

click to enlarge

The Citroën C4 will get a new look in 2010, but for now the French company is happy to update and upgrade the version it currently sells. The changes include small styling updates and some eco-aware changes in the new petrol engines and some low-rolling resistance tires from Michelin.

The current engines in the C4 include a 1.6i 16V and a 2.0i 16V, and both will be scrapped in favor of 1.6 liter units (co-developed with the BMW group) called the VTi 120 hp (Variable valve lift and Timing Injection) and THP 150 hp (Turbo High Pressure). Citroën isn't saying just how much cleaner these engines are, just that they "offer improved fuel economy and lower emissions."

Inside the new C4, Citroën has added a new navigation system with a 7-inch screen and a 10GB hard drive. The redesigned front end now shares a few touches with the C5. Not bad, but we'll keep an eye out for the reported diesel hybrids in the next generation.

[Source: Citroën]

click to enlarge

If you like the look of Citroën's C2 and C3 superminis (I do), then the announcement of a style refresh might be most welcome. The fact that one of the marque's new lookers emits just 113 grams of CO₂ a kilometer is just an eco-bonus. As you can see in the company's chart pasted after the jump, emissions from the new supermini line-up range from 113 to 172, but there are seven trim and engine combinations that break the important (for now) 120 CO₂g/km level. The bulk of the low emission models use the 1.4HDi 70hp engine, and the C2 also comes in a 1.6 HDi 110bhp VTS flavor that emits 119 g/km of CO₂ and goes from 0-62 mph in under 10 seconds. Not bad for 53.4mpg, right? Add in Citroën's approval to use up to B30 in the C2 VTS and you've got a solid car, the kind Americans wish they could be buying right now. Citroën also recently introduced a natural gas-powered C3.

Click on the image to watch the video

Who says that frugal and fun can't go together in the same sentence? It could be argued that using Minis -- both classic and current -- in the chase scenes of the movie(s) The Italian Job made them fairly eco-friendly already... well, at least as friendly as a filmed chase scene could be. At least they didn't use muscle cars, right? But at this year's Sexy Green Car Show, Citroën has apparently decided that the classic scene needed to be recreated using as little fuel as possible. To that end, a thirty second film spot was made which features Citroën's little C1, a car capable of delivering nearly seventy miles per gallon while emitting just 108g/km of carbon dioxide. Fittingly, the three C1s featured in the advertisement are red, white and blue - the same colors as the Minis that were initially used in The Italian Job movies. We'll be honest... the video pasted after the break isn't nearly as entertaining as the original, but it's fun in its own little way.

Click on the image to enlarge

We're driving, driving, driving like it's nineteen-ninety-nine. Well, not exactly, but Citroën says that owners of its cars in the UK may actually be driving for less money per mile on average than they did eight years ago. Here in the states, gas was über-cheap in the year 2K, but in the UK, where both petrol and diesel has always been more expensive, the price was quite a bit steeper due to fuel protests in September of that year. In fact, Citroën claims that the increased efficiency of its models more than makes up for the increase in the price of gas that took place between the year 2000 and today, even when adjusted for inflation. It's not all good news, though, as the price of oil continues to rise. "Whilst improved fuel efficiency and advances in vehicle design have reduced the cost of filling up, in real terms, the economic benefits of improved efficiency could soon be canceled out altogether if prices continue to rise at their current rate, although our commitment to reducing CO₂ and harmful emissions will not be lessened," according to Marc Raven, spokesman for Citroën.

PSA Peugeot Citroën, already Europe's leader in low CO₂ emissions, is planning on introducing a new line of small-bore three cylinder engines. It seems that the French automaker is keen on keeping their eco-friendly reputation, as this information comes shortly after we heard that PSA plans to make its Stop & Start system standard across its line. Their one liter three cylinders are expected to offer from seventy to one-hundred horsepower. PSA's "aim is to offer the market vehicles with CO₂ emissions below 100g/km with no additional technology." We would imagine that this line of engines, especially when equipped with stop/start technology, will be quite the fuel misers. Currently, there's no word on what vehicles these engines are slated to be installed in.

To make their ambitious goals a reality, PSA is setting up two manufacturing sites to build the engines. The first operational facility will open in 2011 and have a capacity of 600,000 engines per year.

[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

After PSA's announcement of taking things easy on diesel hybrids, it's at least good to know that they have decided to make the Start & Stop system available for the whole range of models. Nowadays, only certain versions of the Citroën C2 and C3 can be ordered with the Stop & Start system, a nifty fuel saver that shuts down the engine at traffic lights or when stuck in a traffic jam. This accounts for a 10 to 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO₂ production figures.

PSA has just announced that they will make the system available for their complete lineup and - even better - it will be made standard. Their target is to install the system in a million vehicles by 2011 and 1.6 million by 2012.

[Source: Autoplus (thanks to my buddy Dominique for the tip)]

Over in Britain, Citroën is doing their best to draw owners of older, thirstier, CO2-spewing cars for a new low-CO2 model. To help attract customers to their showrooms they are offering up to £1,000 in cash for trade-ins on older cars. The deal applies to particular low emissions models of the C1, C2, C3, C4 and Berlingo van. Unfortunately deals like this are unlikely in the US because most of those low emissions small cars have little or no profit margin here.

Related:

• "GO LO CO2" - Citroën's clever name for a way to reduce driving emissions

[Source: AutoExpress]

Ok, you've got a small, fuel-efficient (more than 60 mpg Imperial) hatchback. It's not a high-performance sports car, but it will get you to 62 mph in under 10 seconds. If you're under 25, you get a free year of insurance on the sucker. It costs £13,400, but for a limited time, the price after cash back offers is £10,995. Do you buy?

That's the question Citroën hopes people answer in the affirmative with the introduction of the 110hp C2 1.6HDi VTS. This sports hatch is the first diesel supermini with the VTS label. I'm not all that enamored with the looks of this C2, but 64 mpg makes any car look better. Also, CO2 emissions barely break through that important 120 barrier at 119g/km. It certainly has potential.

[Source: Citroën]