Autoblog

Click image for a high-res gallery of the C2 Kappa

Now that the 2008 Beijing Motor Show is underway, we're getting a chance to see how a lot of those sketches and renderings we saw ahead of the festivities translate into actual cars. One of the concepts we were curious about was the collaborative effort between Citroën and sports apparel maker Kappa. Not only is the red-and-white C2 Kappa concept faithful to the drawing released last month, it's also pretty cool.

The C2 Kappa is lowered and fully kitted, sporting a unique front fascia that tones down the base car's oversized headlamps and adds aggressive Kappa-emblazoned grillework below the bumper. That logo is repeated all along the fat red racing stripe that runs from nose to tail, flanked by thinner grey accent stripes. Another red door stripe with the Kappa branding runs along each flank. A roof spoiler and a color-keyed diffuser insert add visual flair in back, while white rally-style wheels take up residence at the corners. Inside, sport seats with the Kappa insignia dress up the passenger cabin, rounding out this surprisingly appealing styling exercise from Dongfeng Citroën and Kappa, even if it the equivalent of a car dressed in a jogging suit.


[Source: Autoblog Chinese]

All photos Copyright ©2008 Bin Chen / Weblogs, Inc.

Click on the image to view more high-res shots

We've grown rather accustomed to seeing special-edition MV Agusta Brutales, but this is the first time that one has featured four wheels. MV Agusta and Citroën have teamed up to produce a two-door hatchback show car called the C2 1587 Brutale. The naming scheme and the color pallete are clearly inspired by what is arguably Italy's hottest naked bike, the MV Agusta 1078 RR Brutale. We're not clear on what other tie-in exists between the two vehicles beyond that, though. Featuring a 1.6 liter 16-valve engine with 125 hp, the C2 1587 Brutale's power output is nowhere near as impressive as its two-wheeled inspiration. We do like the interior, which features plenty of black leather and alcantara with red outlines and stitching. Ultimately, we feel that this is one mash-up that the world probably could have done without.


[Source: MV Agusta]

Click above for photo gallery of the Dongfeng Citroën C2 Kappa

Dongfeng Citroën will reportedly show a pair of cars adorned with graphics inspired by soccer/sport apparel manufacturer, Kappa. From what we can gather, a trio of Dongfeng Citroën C2s will be on hand, one in the red-and-white motif you see above, and two more sporting the automotive equivalents of the official Team Italia uniform. If the sketches are any indication, the cars will be given a dressed-up, rally-car look as well, with updated fascias, wheels, and the like. Whether a Citroën/Kappa trim package model is in the works for China is not clear, but at the very least, these show cars ought to be interesting to see when they're unveiled.


[Sources: Autoblog Chinese, FoMoCo News]

If your inner rally driver lusts for something different than the run of the mill Subaru or Mitsubishi, there's a tasty new Gallic morsel to spice things up. Citroen is taking their C2 to the FIA Junior World Rally Championship this year, and the C2-R2 Max Rally kit is their ticket to homologation. The kit keeps the price down, but doesn't skimp on serious pieces. The 1.6-liter engine belts out 190 horsepower, and there's larger brakes and a hydraulic steering rack to keep that power in check and make sure it's properly directed. There's also an adjustable rear suspension to help fend off competitors on the track. All of our puppy-dog enthusiasm is for naught; we can't get this un-subtle killer hatch in the United States. C'est la vie.

[Source: Inside Line]

It's more than a little unusual to see the French mounting an assault on anything, but reports indicate that French automakers are attacking the crossover sport-utility market with a vengeance. In Geneva, Renault will unveil the production version of the Koleos crossover, which follows the Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4008 as the first SUVs from the land of fashion and crepes. Now Peugeot is preparing its second wave in the form of the 3008 crossover.

Targeting the likes of the Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Tiguan, the 3008 is expected to hit European markets in 2010. Power will reportedly come from 1.6-liter turbocharged fours burning either gas or oil and driving either two wheels or four. Inside, flexible seating configurations are expected to be on offer in both five- and seven-seat formats. The styling is anticipated to follow closely along Peugeot's design language, with a big mouth and a prominent badge on the hood. And since where there's smoke there's an overturned car on fire, Citroen is expected to get its own version, as well.

[Source: Auto Express]

It's pretty straightforward for most of us: drive above the speed limit and risk getting in trouble with the fuzz. Racing drivers usually get away with it – if only because they're on closed circuits – which makes it all the more interesting when the same fate befalls them as applies to the rest of us. Although nothing seems to have come out of Schumacher's now-famous cab-driving incident, for example, Lewis Hamilton can't drive anymore on French roads. Now, after having almost run down a police officer on his way to a record fifth consecutive victory in Monte Carlo, we've got video footage of incumbent rally champion Sebastien Loeb getting pulled over by Swedish police in his Citroen C4 rally car.

In the video after the jump, you can clearly see the same ticked-off look the rest of us get while receiving a ticket. But the discernible exasperation could be more from the results of that weekend's rally, where mechanical problems forced Loeb to retire as Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala became the youngest ever rally winner at 22, topping a Ford- dominated podium at the 2008 Swedish Rally.

[Source: Autosport and YouTube]

click above for more high-res action shots

Rally-racing superstar Sebastien Loeb drove into the history books this past Sunday in Monaco when he and co-driver Daniel Elena (a native of Monaco) took the checkered flag at the Monte Carlo Rally for a record fifth time. The Monaco stages kicked off the 2008 World Rally Championship, and Loeb is hoping that the victory at the season opener will be the first of many as he and Elena campaign for their fifth consecutive WRC title.

Although Dani Sordo, Loeb's team-mate at Citroen, put up an early fight, Sordo retired from second place with engine problems, leaving Loeb with an eventual two-and-a-half second lead over Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen. Acknowledging Loeb's repeated domination in Monte Carlo, Hirvonen was satisfied with his second-place finish.

This was the last time the Monte Carlo Rally counts towards the World Rally Championship, as next year the event joins the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The WRC picks up again in Sweden on February 8.

We've selected some of the finer action shots from the Monaco Rally and assembled them into a high-res gallery below.

[Source: Autosport]

We waited. We were patient. And this is what Santa's French cousin brought us: a tiny utility van. We were hoping the predictions were wrong and that with its "C-Reveal" new product page, Citroen might give us something a little more exciting, like maybe the C5 Cabrio. But instead we got the Berlingo.

The new Berlingo is available either as a passenger vehicle (or Leisure Activity Vehicle, as Citroen imaginatively calls it) or as a slab-sided Light Commercial Vehicle. Citroen sold over 1.76 million examples of the outgoing Berlingo, which has been on the market since 1996 (with a facelift in 2002) and which will stay on in the meantime as the lower-priced Berlingo First. The new Berlingo uses running gear from the bigger, more civilized C4 Picasso minivan. It also grows in size over the old model and gets one of those new HDi particulate-filter diesels the French are so good at.

If itty-bitty European vans are your thing, you can check out all the juicy details in the press release after the jump, and stay tuned for the Partner version of the Berlingo from PSA sister-company Peugeot.

[Source: Citroen]

Earlier we brought you a screen shot of Citroen's website that features a countdown meter until the French automaker unveils its latest vehicle. Although we'll have to wait another couple of days to know for certain, the replacement for the Berlingo utility minivan is shaping up as a strong contender for the slot, with an undisguised photo of the new vehicle surfacing on the internet.

The Berlingo, also badged as the Partner by PSA sister-company Peugeot, has been on the market since 1996 and received a facelift in 2002. Competing with the new Renault Kangoo that was unveiled at last September's Frankfurt show, the little vans are a common site overseas where their utility and compact size prove a popular combination.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Citroen has put up a timer on their website foretelling the imminent launch of a new model, but guesses are all over the place as to what that new model could be.

The French automaker's range has expanded in recent years to include everything from small hatchbacks to SUVs, with just about everything in between. Progressing up the range, among the possibilities considered are a "Streetlounge" version of the C3 supermini, a pseudo-Allroad/Outback version of the C4 hatch, a C5-based convertible previewed by the C-Airscape concept, and a new C8 minivan. While sometimes automakers give us a little teaser in the form of a veiled silhouette, all PSA is giving us here is a box with wheels. Our money is on some sort of automobile, possibly starting with the letter C.

We'll have to wait until the counter runs down to zero at 9 am on Wednesday (Paris time – 3 am in New York) to see what the Chevron marque has in store for our overseas compatriots.

[Source: Citroen via World Car Fans and Le Blog Auto]