It seems that Citroen can't wait until the London Motor Show to show off its latest wares, instead using this month's Madrid Show (May 26th - 28th) to reveal a new concept car, a new high-performance diesel engine and a semi-automatic electro-hydraulic gearbox.
First up is the Citroen C-Buggy concept car, based on the
C-AirPlay concept of last year. The C-Buggy is intended for light off-road use with its elevated ride height and sump guard, though it appears to have road tyres wrapped around its chunky alloys. The roof has been chopped off too, as has the windscreen, though there is a rollover hoop behind the two-seat cockpit. The basic styling has remained unchanged from the C-AirPlay, supporting our suspicions that there is a new open-topped super-mini on the way from Citroen.
Also on display in Madrid will be a new 173bhp version of Citroen's HDi engine to be fitted in the Citroen C5 initially. The new unit utilises twin parallel turbochargers along with a new diesel injection system to produce this output, while retaining diesel-like fuel economy.
Last of the news on the Citroen stand is a C4 fitted with a new six-speed electronically-controlled gearbox that should allow several modes of operation along the lines of BMW's SMG system.
Shane O' Donoghue - 16 May 2006