Citroën C1

The Citroën C1 is a city car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since 2005.

The C1 was developed as part of the B-Zero project by PSA Peugeot Citroën in a joint-venture with Toyota. The Peugeot 107 is identical to the C1 other than the front bumper and front and rear lights, while the Toyota Aygo is slightly more differentiated but still obviously similar. All of them are built at the new facilities of the TPCA joint-venture (Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile) in the city of Kolín, Czech Republic. The project was presented for the first time at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. The cars are 4-seater, 3 or 5-door hatchbacks measuring 3.40 metres (133.9 in) in length. The body was designed by Donato Coco.

A notable feature of the 5-door C1 and 107, though not the Aygo, is the large tail light cluster, which extends from the edge of the rear doors to the rear window, meaning there is no external metal "C-pillar".

The C1 is powered by a 1.0 L 3-cylinder engine, which has a fuel economy of 61.4 mpg (UK gallons EU method; 4.6 L/100 km EU method; ca 43.4 mpg US with US method). A 1.4 L 4-cylinder HDI diesel engine which has a fuel economy of 68.9 mpg (UK gallons EU method; 4.1 L/100 km EU method; ca 48.8 mpg US with US method) is also available.

According to the German magazine, Der Spiegel, the C1 is the production car with the second-best fuel economy both among petrol engines (after the Toyota Prius) ^[1] and among diesel engines (after the Smart ForTwo).^[2] The newly released Toyota IQ concept car uses petrol and has superior fuel economy.

In January 2010, PSA Peugeot Citroën announced that it is recalling "under 100,000 units" of the C1 and the Peugeot 107, following the worldwide recall by Toyota for a faulty sticking accelerator pedal - in which the Aygo is affected. Under certain circumstances, the pedal can stick in a partially depressed position, or return slowly to the off position.^[3]

Engines

Trim range UK

• The Vibe, 3 door or 5 door, this was the basic model and the cheapest. Only available with the 1.0i engine.
• The Rhythm, 3 door or 5 door, this trim added remote central locking, colour coded wing mirrors, two side airbags and an engine rev counter. The 1.4 HDi diesel and the 1.0i petrol engines were both available with this trim.
• The Code, available in both 3 or 5 door and with the 1.4 HDi engine, added to the Rhythm specification by including 14 inch alloy wheels, half leather trimmed seats, chrome interior trim inserts and glove box cover.

Special editions (UK)

• The Cool - based on the Vibe, adding Air Conditioning and blue seat fabrics/dashboard inserts, available in Lipizan White or Damas Blue.
• The Airplay - based on the Rhythm, adding full iPod connectivity, iPod cradle, a 4 GB iPod Nano and coloured dashboard inserts and door pulls. Early models were available with bright, swirling decals. This model was originally revealed at the 2006 British International Motor Show.

2009 facelift and revisions

In January 2009, the C1 was facelifted at the same time as the Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo. The New C1 features a new front bumper incorporating a new grille, in-keeping with Citroen's family look. Trim levels were also refreshed - basic Vibe models became 'VT', and Rhythm became 'VTR'. Seat fabrics and ventilation controls were also changed, and all models received colour-coded front bumpers and new wheel trims. A special-edition 'Splash' was available at launch, though this was a strictly limited edition. It featured Air Conditioning and was available in Electra Blue or Lipizan White. The blue car came with white door mirrors, whilst the white car came with glossy black door mirrors. Engines remained the same, but tweaks mean the 1.0 petrol now emits just 106 g/km of CO₂ and reportedly able to achieve 72 mpg_-imp (3.9 L/100 km; 60 mpg_-US) fuel consumption. The 1.4 HDi diesel engine remains unchanged, again only available in the higher specification. Three new colours were also added to the line-up.

Additional versions

Designer Franco Sbarro created an extreme C1, called the C1 GT, a design concept that follows the same theme of his previous Xsara Picasso Concept. The extreme bodywork feature very wide wheels and gullwing doors, alongside a modified 1.6L 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) engine from the C2VTR and C4 WRC rallycar brakes. Its said to have reached over 130 mph (210 km/h).

In Portugal is offered a commercial van version called the Entreprise, equipped with the 1.4L diesel engine and available only in the 3-door body, for urban use. Its 107 sibling also offers an identical version.

In the United Kingdom the Electric Car Corporation has been selling an electric car based on the C1, called the Citroën C1 ev'ie since 30 April 2009. Its list price on that date was £16,850 ($24,989 US), "double the cost of the petrol version".^[4][5][6]

Reliability

Breakdown statistics reported by the German Automobile Club in May 2010 placed the Citroën C1 (which the data grouped with the Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo) at the top of the sub-small car class in respect of the low break-down rates achieved for cars aged between 1 and 4 years.^[7][8] Class laggards were the Chevrolet Matiz (0 - 3 year old cars) and the two seater Smart (4 - 5 year old cars^[7]).

References

External links

• Link to Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile
• C1 at Citroenet
• C1 Crash Test
• C1 links Citroën World
• UK Citroën C1 Information Website
• French Car Owners Club
• C1 Owners Club/107 & Aygo City Bug Club UK
• Parts and info site