Manufacturers continue to make efforts to slash carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and now Citroen has introduced two new greener power plants to its C5 range.

In comes a new BMW co-developed 1.6i 16V THP 155hp petrol engine that replaces the out-going 2.0i 16V 143hp unit; and a new 2.0HDi 16V 160hp diesel that replaces the 2.2HDi 16V 173hp engine. Both are Euro V rated.

The 1.6i 16V THP 155hp petrol provides 240Nm of torque at 1,400rpm as well as an eight per cent increase in power and an 18.5 per cent increase in combined cycle fuel economy. The engine slashes emissions by 16 per cent – down from 198g/km to 167g/km and thanks to these lower emissions, VED charges are cut from £215 to £175.

Meanwhile, the new 2.0HDi 16V 160hp diesel supplies 340Nm of torque at 2,000rpm – that’s a 14 per cent increase in power that is coupled with a three per cent increase in fuel economy and a four per cent reduction in CO2 emissions from 153g/km to 147g/km. This in turn knocks VED charges down from £150 to £125.

The saloon version of the Citroen C5 starts at £18,195 on the road.