COVER New Citroen C4
■ Exclusive images show next family hatch’s dramatic look ■ Key to boss’s promise never to build another ‘conservative’ car
Secret plan for stylish Cactus-inspired hatchback revealed
CITROEN is planning a more stylish look for its next-generation C4 family hatchback, after the company’s boss promised the French brand would never build a conservative car again.
The current C4 has been poorly received in many markets, including the UK, and criticised for its dull styling that’s a world away from Citroen’s reputation for avantgarde design. The company’s boss, Brit Linda Jackson, has stated that the firm’s future creations need to be “between different and bizarre”. The new car – due on sale in 2018 – will take significant design cues from the C4 Cactus and recently launched C3.
As our exclusive images suggest, the C4 will get the latest Citroen family face, with ultra-slim daytime running lights and neatly integrated headlamps beneath.
It will also follow the C4 Cactus by incorporating Airbump technology along its flanks. As with the C3, the distinctive bubbled plastic surface is used in a more subtle fashion than on the Cactus, and is likely to be optional on entry-level C4s; Citroen is keen not to alienate customers who don’t want Airbumps.
SUV The overall style of the C4 will inch towards that of a crossover, as Citroen tries to get away from making a direct rival for the likes of the Ford Focus, while still leaving space for the future C4 Aircross SUV. As such, the car will get a slightly higher ride height than a conventional hatch, without encroaching on off-roader territory.
Citroen’s product boss Xavier Peugeot recently hinted that such a move was possible. “There will be a new C4,” he said, “but it will not be conventional.
“It is possible to change the image of a model name, and we can do that with that car. Perhaps we will change its silhouette.”
The current C4 sits on Peugeot-citroen’s older PF2 chassis. While the latest C3 has had to make do with PF1, the smaller version of that tech, the next generation of its bigger brother will switch to the EMP2 architecture that underpins the current Peugeot 308. It will, in fact, be one of the last of PSA’S small products to get that chassis, as subsequent models will switch to the cheaper CMP platform that is being jointly developed with Chinese company Dongfeng.
Switching to EMP2 should bring a dramatic improvement in the way the C4 drives. This will be achieved through a range of more modern engines, but also the significant weight saving; the new C4 could be as much as 150kg lighter than the car it replaces, allowing Citroen to engineer in the much-promised gains in ride comfort, as well as improved sound deadening.
EMP2 will also give Citroen the potential to make a plug-in hybrid C4, but it’s said that the firm is unlikely to take up this option on grounds of cost. Instead it will focus on more efficient Puretech petrol motors, and a new 1.5-litre Bluehdi diesel that will allow the C4 to emit less than 90g/km of CO2.
Inside, there will be an infotainment system similar to the C3’s, allowing functions to be controlled via the touchscreen. The C4 will also get the supermini’s forward-facing Connectedcam camera, which records journeys and stores footage in the event of an accident. This can also take still images, allowing owners to snap scenes en route.
The C4 will be one of the last refreshes in an aggressive range overhaul by Citroen that will bring 12 new models by 2021, including seven before the end of 2018.
“Overall style will inch towards a crossover as Citroen avoids making a direct rival for Ford’s Focus”