Citroën has announced prices and details of the new Citroën C4 range, which makes its New Zealand debut at the end of the month with a choice of two new engines, advanced technology and a spacious and stylish all-new body.

With prices starting at $32,990 plus delivery and dealer costs, the new Citroën C4 will also build on the value for money record set by its award winning predecessor.

“The original Citroën C4 was one of the most significant vehicles in the history of Citroën,” says Lawrie Malatios, General Manager of Citroën in New Zealand. “It collected awards, set new standards for safety, brought hundreds of thousands of new customers to Citroën and, of course, in the hands of Sébastien Loeb, dominated the World Rally Championship. The new Citroën C4 adds a new maturity to the original car, a new standard of technology and comfort, a new level of value for money and, as such, is more than well placed to repeat the success of predecessor.”

With attractive, sculpted lines; impressive build quality; and an array of original up market features and functions, the new Citroën C4 is a perfect balance of confidence-inspiring styling and useful, convenient technologies.

Specifically designed to meet the needs of mid-size 5-door hatchback retail customers and business users, new C4 is robust and versatile; driver-focused, yet impressively comfortable; and is charged with a real ‘Positive Power’ - thanks to efficient Citroën engineering and an environmentally considerate range of powertrains.

Like the new Citroën C5 in 2009, and the new Citroën C3 in 2010, new C4 is further evidence of Citroën’s know-how and creativity in designing efficient, stylish, innovative and safe vehicles with ‘real world’ practicality.

New C4’s distinctive profile and balanced proportions give a clear impression of strength and stability. Defined and flowing surfaces, such as the purposeful front end and rear spoiler, hint at the model’s optimised aerodynamics. Chrome detailing combines with dynamic headlight styling and sculpted alloy wheels for a sophisticated and impressive road presence.

Fractionally larger than its forerunner, new C4’s compact external dimensions - 433m (l), 1.79m (w), 1.49m (h) - conceal generous internal volumes with spacious accommodation for all occupants; built-in versatility and practicality; and a class-leading boot volume of up to 408-litres VDA.

The high quality of new C4’s interior finish is immediately apparent from the tactile soft-touch material on the top of the one-piece dashboard and the generous amounts of chrome around the dials and vents. This is a car created to deliver a supremely satisfying on-board experience as well as long-term durability.

Promising precise control and an accomplished drive, new C4’s driver-focused cockpit immediately delivers a feeling of on-road comfort and confidence. Personal comfort can be tailored to individual requirements, with users able to adjust the colour of the instrument display, select their own ‘polyphonic’ sound alerts and even set the intensity of the automatic air conditioning to one of three different settings. For optimum levels of comfort, new C4 Exclusive is fitted as standard with massaging front seats - the first time this has been offered in this sector of the market.

The new C4 is intelligently designed with a range of new convenient technologies, a number of which are unique to the segment. There is a new blind-spot monitoring system, a cornering light function, cruise control and speed-limiter with and favourite speed settings.

Selected models feature a new raised centre console - another first for the class - which houses a cooled and illuminated storage area that can take four 0.5-litre bottles. Other available equipment includes a Connecting Box that provides Bluetooth® and a USB socket; front and rear parking sensors and parking space ‘gap’ measurement.

Impressive acoustic comfort and the levels of soundproofing in the car - filtering out external road noise and vibrations - have been benchmarked to the segment above.

The new C4 is powered by a choice of two refined and efficient powerplants co-developed with BMW and a fuel efficient HDi diesel unit with micro-hybrid tecnology. Power output ranges from a refined 82 kW to a punchy 115 kW. All variants are fitted with self shifting gearboxes, an adaptive automotive unit for the 88 kW engine and, as befits the top performance variants, a six speed EGS robotized manual for the 115 kW turbo charged engine and the HDi Turbo Diesel.

With the 1.6 litre Turbocharged engine, the Citroën C4 covers the 100 kmh dash in 8.7 seconds yet at the same time has a combined fuel consumption of just 6.4 l/100 km.

An environmentally respectful car, the new C4 uses the latest Citroën technology to reduce its ecological impact. Even the top version, the 115 kW C4 Exclusive offers a low CO2 emmission benchmark of 148 g/km, while the HDi can boast a CO2 figure of just 114 g/km and an open road fuel figure of just 4.0 l/100 km.

The HDi is able to achieve this thanks to its micro-hybrid drivetrain that includes a combination of several environmentally considerate technologies - including a second generation Stop & Start system with regenerative braking – which help the HDi to improve fuel efficiency by up to 15% in city driving conditions, with CO2 emissions reduced by around 5g/km.

The HDi powertrain consists of a refined and efficient 1.6 HDi 82 kW diesel engine fitted with a Stop & Start system featuring a second generation reversible alternator.

An e-booster system allows instantaneous and whisper silent engine restarts in just 400ms - twice as fast as a manual key restart and 30% faster than with a reinforced starter. The electronically controlled alternator uses regenerative braking to recover energy and the EGS gearbox features optimised gear ratios. The system even stops the engine before the car comes to a complete halt - from 6 kmh during deceleration. The e-HDi system can improve fuel efficiency by up to 15% in urban environments and reduces CO2 emissions by around 5g/km.

The use of 15% ‘green’ materials add to the new C4’s environmental credentials.

One of the safest vehicles in its class, new C4 has been awarded the maximum 5-star Euro NCAP rating, including a 97% score in the ‘Safety Assist’ category - the highest score for any vehicle of its type.

The petrol varients arrive in New Zealand in August 2011 and the diesel varient in November. The new Citroën C4 will be offered in two well-specified trims - VTi and Exclusive - and it is attractively priced, starting at $32,990 for the VTi, rising to $39,990 for both the range-topping 1.6 Turbo 115 kW Exclusive and the HDi Exclusive. Prices are exclusive of dealer costs and delivery.

ENDS

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