French carmaker Citroen has lifted the lid on its latest generation supermini the C3 and in a first for the manufacturer the car will be available in a variant which produces less than 100g/km of CO2.
The 5-door supermini goes on sale in the UK on 15th January 2010 with the most eye-catching version being the diesel powered Special Edition Airdream+ 1.6HDi 90hp with exhaust emissions of 99g/km of CO2. Which results in this car being a category A car for VED, with a tax rate of zero.
In total three HDi diesels will be available at launch – 1.4HDi 8V 70hp, 1.6HDi 16V 90hp and 1.6HDi 16V 110hp – all emit 115g/km of CO2 or less. The 1.6HDi 16V 110hp and the 1.6HDi 16V 90hp Euro V engines (the latter being specified in the Airdream+), are fitted with Citroen’s DPFS (Diesel Particulate Filter System).
The special edition Airdream+ is based on the VTR+ trim level car (mid-range specification) with the additional benefit of rear parking sensors and Bluetooth/USB connectivity.
Looking further ahead Citroen has also confirmed it is developing even more efficient power trains, and a second generation Stop & Start system for 2011. The company is hoping to launch two diesel versions which emit 90g/km and 95g/km of CO2. It’s not just about diesel however as the carmaker is also developing a 3-cylinder petrol engine which they hope will break the sub-100g/km threshold.
