Cactus to relaunch Citroen

Citroen hopes the off-beat C4 Cactus will mark a new beginning for the niche European brand in Australia, where it believes the off-beat compact SUV will return the French car maker to its former glory.

Citroen Automobiles Australia this week officially confirmed the Cactus for Australian release in January, following unofficial confirmation in October, when it said the uniquely styled crossover would arrive here this year.

The C4 Cactus name is misleading, because even though it's sold as a C-segment (small) car in Europe, the model is based on the same front-drive PF1 platform as the Citroen DS3 and Peugeot 208.

Riding on a 2595mm wheelbase and measuring 4157mm long, 1761mm wide and 1480mm high, it is sized between C3 and C4 on the outside, and is actually smaller than key rivals like the Mazda CX-3, Nissan JUKE, Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008, but clever packaging results in a larger (358-litre) boot than most.

No local price or spec details have been announced, but motoring.com.au understands the C4 Cactus will be priced from about $25,000, positioning it at the top-end of the sprawling compact SUV segment.

As in Europe, the small crossover wagon is likely to be available here with two engines – the PSA group's new 81kW 1.2-litre turbo-petrol triple (the non-turbo 61kW version is unlikely for Oz) and a 67kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four – both seen in the Peugeot 308.

Initially at least, the entry-level petrol model will only be available with a five-speed  manual transmission, but we expect the diesel to be offered with PSA's six-speed ETG automated manual gearbox for under $30,000.

Three equipment grades are on sale in France, where the Spanish-built C4 Cactus was released last June, but just one well-specified grade could be made available here.

It should include a full safety suite, including an innovative new roof-mounted front passenger airbag that allows a clean, low-set dashboard with 8.5-litre storage box, plus a reversing camera, fog lights with cornering function and rear parking sensors.

We expect all Australian models to also come with a 7.0-inch colour touch screen, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite-navigation, 6GB hard-drive media storage, a couch-style front bench seat and automatic headlights, climate control and wipers, which feature 'Magic Wash' technology to reduce washer water capacity by half.

Personalisation will be a key part of the C4 Cactus offer, in the form of a variety of bold exterior paint colours and two-tone interior seat and dash combinations, including grey, black, brown and purple. In all, Citroen says 92 colour and trim combinations are possible.

There's also a large panoramic sunroof with advanced heat protection, which Citroen claims matches the insulation and acoustic properties of a roof and saves 6kg by doing away with a sun blind.

The other key customisation option will be the car's innovative 'Airbump' door protection panels, which employs air capsules to prevent bodyside damage in car parks and come in a range of colours beyond standard matt black, including brown, grey and beige. Citroen says the flexible Airbumps, for which it holds nine patents, are made from thermo-plastic urethane that acts like a rubber shoe soles and can cope with the impact of a 40kg trolley at 40km/h.

Citroen Automobiles Australia general manager John Startari would not comment on C4 Cactus sales forecasts, but said it could eventually become the brand's top-selling model in SUV-hungry Australia.

"It will depend on final price and specification, but it certainly has the potential to be [Citroen's best-seller Down Under]", he said.

"Citroen is renowned historically for its ground-breaking designs and pioneering features, and the C4 Cactus will follow in the footsteps of the Grand C4 Picasso and C4 Picasso with a bold family face an innovative on-board technology.

"We are very excited about the launch of C4 Cactus. In fact, we are already holding a number of pre-orders for the vehicle well ahead of its local introduction."

What's certain is that the C4 Cactus will be more popular than Citroen's last model in the compact SUV segment, the Mitsubishi ASX-based C4 Aircross, which was priced from $31,990 before it was discontinued following slow sales last year.

Just 100 sales a month would almost double Citroen's comparatively meagre annual sales of only 1300 last year – up from just 1180 in 2013.

Startari said the C4 Cactus would not just be a relatively strong seller for Citroen in Australia, but a 'halo' model that had the potential to return the French car-maker to its innovative, technology-led roots in line with its 'Creative Technology' brand slogan.

Citroen will release a series of facelifted models before the C4 Cactus arrives in Australia – including for the DS3 (April), Berlingo (July), C4 and DS5 (September), before a range of redesigned models based on PSA's new EMP2 platform arrive.

As the first and last additional model to come from the brand in years, Startari believes the C4 Cactus could be to Citroen what the 500 is to Fiat.

To mark its introduction just three years before Citroen's centenary in 2019, the company is planning a series of special events including a round-Australia journey in the C4 Cactus, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the first such trip by car in 1925 – a 1923 5CV, which still resides at the National Museum in Canberra.

The publicity stunt will attempt to remind Australians of Citroen's long, innovative history. Founded in 1919 by Andre Citroen, who invented the chevron gear that continues as the brand's logo, the company was the first mass-production car-maker outside the US, the first to establish a sales and service network, the first with a mass-production front-drive car, the first with an all-steel car and the first to produce a monocoque vehicle (in 1934 with the Traction Avant).

Citroen also invented hydropneumatic suspension (with the DS in 1954) and swivelling headlights (1967); it introduced the first European car with disc brakes; it is the only car maker to win three FIA-sanction world championships (rally, rally raid and touring car), and Citroen has won more WRC titles than any other brand (eight).