Although Citroën’s new C4 offers no great technical or aesthetic departure from its predecessor, it follows the industry-wide trend in incorporating increasingly sophisticated on-board live safety technology.
Optional kit carried over from the old model includes PSA’s Electronic Gearbox System, hill start assist, automatic electric parking brake, a lane departure warning system and Xenon dual-function directional headlamps. New options include a blind-spot monitoring system — rare if not unique in this class, though inevitable this won’t be true for long. There’s also a cornering light function, a cruise control with speed-limiter with road speed memory settings, and an interesting service called e-Touch. This enables drivers to monitor their driving patterns and fuel consumption and to receive advice on how to improve their fuel economy. The system also allows drivers to interrogate their vehicle’s technical status and keep an eye on any necessary maintenance requirements.
Citroën C4, 2011 model year.
The new C4 will be available with Citroën’s new micro-hybrid e-HDi powertrains, which feature the latest generation stop-start system. At launch, the greenest C4 will deliver a CO2 return of 109g/km, though a 99g/km model is promised at a later date. Michelin low rolling-resistance tyres are specified.
Citroën is presently being a little coy about publishing kerb mass figures for the new C4 — we assume it’s heavier than the outgoing model. The Company talks of ‘controlling’ weight using laser welding in the construction process.
A finished C4 incorporates 15 per cent. ‘green materials’ — Citroën cites re-cycled polyamide components as an example.
The New C4 will be produced at PSA’s Mulhouse plant in Alsace, and will premiere at the Paris Motor Show in September. Some provisional data for the new car are given below; we will fill in the gaps when the information becomes available.