#citroen

Citroën has just released official images of its latest hot-hatch concept model set to premiere at the upcoming 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It’s images like these that convince us the North American market could really use some French metal.

It might be considered as a Mini Cooper S rival on this side of the pond, but in reality the Fiat is cheaper and was originally conceived for a different kind of clientele in its home market, people more likely to buy cars like the Toyota Aygo, VW Polo and Opel Corsa.

As part of a $1.1 billion cost-cutting effort, PSA, the parent company of both Peugeot and Citroen, will shed 6,000 jobs in Europe, with 2,500 white collar jobs, 2,500 contract worker jobs and 1,000 blue collar jobs expected to be cut in 2012.

In recent years, Mitsubishi has been given a lifeline by the PSA group, which owns Peugeot and Citroen. Both of these French companies have made their own versions of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Outlander SUV.

It’s that time of the year again as Car of the Year begins the laborious task of whittling down new Car of the Year contenders for 2012.

A total of 59 journalists, representing automotive authorities across 23 European countries, have been recruited for the task of choosing top car. The number of journalists to represent each country is based on the relative size of the said country’s car market. Countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain have a well established market, and each will be represented by six journalists.

As for cars, only completely redesigned new models that have launched within the twelve months before the contest are counted. Each car must be available in at least five European countries and must have an expected sales volume no less than 5,000.

Categories considered include design, safety, performance, and price. This year, says the judging committee, technical innovation and value will be especially influential. What also makes Car of the Year unique is the absence of separate genres for its candidates. Rather than selecting the best of the compacts or the best trucks, vehicles with all sorts of engine size and body types will be vying for the same allotment of points.

Comparison testing of the vehicles will be performed in Sweden.

The following 35 candidates selected for the 2012 Car of the Year award include:

When it comes to bizarre concept cars, the Tokyo Auto Show might be the traditional winner, but when it comes to production time, often things end up looking like a Camry. Not so for those baguette-loving Frenchmen (and women). From Citroen, to Renault, to Peugeot, their production cars are plenty strange and the concepts that inspire them look straight out of science fiction.

French automaker Citroën has teamed up with award-winning fashion brand Gio-Goi to create some cool new kicks based on Citroën’s DS3 Racing supermini. The limited edition DSC Racing Shoes will kick your style into high gear.

This is by far one of the most interesting concept cars in a very long time. Previewed ahead of its Frankfurt Auto Show debut, French automaker Citroen claims it is “designed to making travel meaningful again.” We have our doubts as to when travel stopped being meaningful, but it looks as if Citroen wants to add luxury, comfort and fun back into road trips. The Tubik is a “high-tech executive shuttle” and Citroen wants everyone to join in on a “shared, intelligent, connected and eco-friendly journey.”

After years of Citroen dominating the World Rally Championship, Fiat is getting ready to challenge the French automaker’s dominance with their own entry, based on the Punto Abarth.

Citroën was once the company bizarre enough to dabble in hydraulic suspensions, power steering, and swiveling headlights before anyone else. It’s good to see that legacy of damn-it-all innovation carry through to today, where the Gallic carbuilder has mounted the brakes in the passenger side.

A MINI Cooper S fitted with an experimental hybrid all-wheel drive system was spotted testing in winter climates, a surprise move for BMW, which has given no indication it was developing such a car.

World War II jokes aside, the French and the Germans are joining forces this time…and for powers of good. BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroën plan to invest 100 million Euros and the efforts of 400 employees into developing hybrid technology, to be shared by both brands.

One recent discussion taking place at Autoguide HQ was how long it’s been since we’ve driven a car that was truly worth a bad review. Most cars these days are pretty good, and the true stinkers are few and far between.

Citroen is going to enter the large luxury car market with a production version of the Metropolis concept car. The Metropolis will likely be badged as a DS9, and be positioned as a flagship to the company’s DS range, which currently markets a line of premium hatchbacks in Europe.

PSA Peugeot Citroen is the first automaker to publicly stand up to the Chinese government’s proposed Green Car Plan. Recently an initial draft of a new piece of Chinese government legislation was leaked in which was revealed plans by the world’s largest auto market to strong arm international auotmakers into sharing their hybrid and electric vehicle technology with Chinese partners.