Citroën DS4 Racing hybrid set to take on Audi S3?

In its quest to take on the lucrative premium compact segment, Citroën has been unrelenting with the release of the its higher-end DS line. The DS4 was just unveiled in Paris, and now reports indicate that the French automaker plans to take on the likes of the Audi S3 and Volkswagen Golf R with a new performance-oriented version of the high hatch.

The kicker is that, according to recurring reports, the Citroën DS4 Racing is tipped to go hybrid, following the likes of the Honda CR-Z and Lexus CT200h. A 95-horsepower electric motor would be mated to the car’s 200-horsepower turbo four, in either a Hybrid4-sytle all-wheel drive setup or as a front-driver using the system being developed with BMW. Sounds enticing, but hybrid or not, the DS4 Racing isn’t expected before 2013

Report: Citroën to build Metropolis concept flagship

The beauty of an automaker entering a completely new market like China is the ability to completely redefine what the brand stands for to local buyers. In the case of France’s Citroën, they’re going decidedly upmarket, but instead of taking baby steps like turning its C3 econo-hatch into the DS3 premium hatch, the French automaker can start completely from scratch.

According to reports from Europe and China, parent company PSA/Peugeot-Citroën is planning on jump-starting its Asian operations by building a production version of its Metropolis concept, the first design carried out at the company’s Shanghai-based design team. Unveiled there in May, the Metropolis stands for the Double Chevron’s vision of what the marque could be to upscale Chinese buyers.

In production form, the Metropolis is anticipated to carry the DS9 nameplate, topping the DS range with an executive limousine that looks like the size of China itself. While the concept featured a compact V6 mated to an electric motor and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the production version could carry any powertrain, likely nestled into a modified platform borrowed from the outgoing Citroën C6 and Peugeot 407. The DS9 looks poised to be built at the joint-venture facility announced last July with Changan Automobile Group. Whether it will ever make it outside of China, of course, remains to be seen.

Paris Preview: Citroën puts un peu d’air sur terre with Lacoste concept

French couture, as is widely known, is at the very height of fashion. French cars, well…less so. But Citroënis hard at work to fix that and capitalize on potential synergies within its own homeland. Its new DS line of premium vehicles is doing much to bridge that gap, as are concepts like the Metropolis and theGQbyCitroën. Now the French automaker has teamed up with a sportswear powerhouse to develop a new show car set to debut on its home turf in Paris next week.

The product of collaboration with tennis-wear giant Lacoste, Citroën’s latest concept takes the alligator brand’s slogan “un peu d’air sur terre” (“a little air on the ground”) to heart with an open buggy-like design ready to, according to Citroën, transports its “passengers to a lighter, fresher world.” And what does that entail, exactly? No roof, no doors and a collapsible windshield, apparently, taking cues from classic Jeeps, but in a more, how you say, avant garde form.

Powering those jumbo golf-ball wheels is a compact three-cylinder gasoline engine that Citroen figures should be plenty to propel the compact vehicle along in joie de vivre bliss. Beyond that, we’ll let the French designers’ work speak for itself, so take a stroll through the Louvre-like gallery of high-resolution images below for a closer look, or follow the jump for the full press release.

New Citroën Metropolis concept photos released ahead of Shanghai debut

Citroën rarely disappoints when it comes to concept cars. This year, for example, we’ve already gotten theSurvolt and DS High Rider. Its latest effort steps up the luxury in a big way. The Citroën Metropolis concept , set to debut in Shanghai later this month, is a beautiful and very French take on the Maybach formula (whether PSA actually greenlights a production venture into such rarefied air remains to be seen.)

Some of the Metropoplis concept’s lines are similar to those first seen on the GTbyCitroen supercar, but they’re more elegant than outrageous as presented on this opulent saloon. A 460-horsepower hybrid powertrain has our interest piqued as well, but for now we’ll have to keep ourselves content with the photo dump that just hit Citroën’s media site. All the latest images are laid out in the high-resolution gallery below, and we’ve begun counting down to this year’s Paris salon to see what Citroën has in store for us next.

Citroen Survolt Sports Car Concept Debuts at 2010 Geneva Show

[Updated gallery with 'live' photos] A sleek electric sports coupe named ‘Survolt’ was Citroen’s surprise debut at this year’s edition of the Geneva Salon. The low-slung, 3,850 mm long, 1,870 mm wide and 1,200 mm tall concept car combines styling elements from both the ‘GT by Citroen‘ supercar and last year’s Revolte concept studies.

The French automaker did not release any technical details on the Survolt, so the only thing we know about the concept is that it is powered by an electric motor fed by a set of batteries.

And while the chances of a car like the Survolt making into production are slimmer than the return of the Edsel, the concept’s design could inspire the next generation of Citroen’s production cars. Full gallery after the jump.

Citroen C5 gets New Turbocharged Gasoline and Diesel Engines and Updated Model Range

Citroen’s handsome-looking C5 that is available in both sedan and estate forms is entering the 2010 model year with a revised engine line-up and equipment upgrades in the UK. The key improvements concern the introduction of the BMW Group co-developed 1.6i 16V THP 155 HP petrol engine that takes the place of the outgoing 2.0i 16V 143 HP unit and the new 2.0 HDi 16V 160 HP diesel that replaces both the 2.0 HDi 16V 140 HP and the 2.2 HDi 16V 173 HP engines.

The 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol unit produces an output of 155 horsepower and 240Nm (177lb.ft) of torque at 1,400 rpm. Citroen claims that this represents an 8 per cent increase in power, combined with an 18.5 per cent increase in combined-cycle fuel economy and a 16 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions (down from 198g/km to 167g/km) over the previous 2.0-liter unit.

As for the new 2.0HDi 16V diesel, it provides an output of 160 horsepower and 340Nm (251lb.ft) of torque at 2,000 rpm. In comparison to the outgoing 140hp manual C5 Saloon, Citroen says that there’s a 14 per cent increase in power, a 3 per cent increase in fuel economy (combined cycle) and a 4 per cent reduction CO2 emissions (down from 153g/km to 147g/km).

In the UK, the SX trim level is renamed VTR while Citroen has upgraded the Exclusive models with a new integrated Bluetooth system with USB Box. Detailed pricing and performance figures can be seen in the spec sheets below.