Citroen shrinks the C4 Picasso
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RENNES, France -- Citroen will give its next C4 Picasso a more compact size and better fuel efficiency.
The brand hopes the changes will propel the model to higher sales in the medium minivan segment where it lags behind rival minivans from Renault, Ford and Volkswagen.
The new-generation C4 Picasso will be previewed at next month's Geneva auto show with the Technospace. Citroen said in a statement that the concept points to the brand's future compact minivan that will be released in the second half of this year.
The five-seat Technospace is slightly shorter and lower than the current C4 Picasso but it has a longer wheelbase, which gives the vehicle more interior room. Citroen says the concept has class-leading interior space with a trunk space of 537 liters, 37 liters more than the C4 Picasso provides.
The production version of the Technospace will be PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's first vehicle underpinned by the automaker's Efficient Modular Platform 2 (EMP2). The platform will allow the company to produce lighter and more fuel-efficient models, PSA says.
CO2 emissions for the next C4 Picasso will be as low as 98 grams per kilometer, Citroen said. The current C4 Picasso's most fuel efficient model has CO2 emissions of 120g/km.
The Technospace concept offers new infotainment technologies including a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen. It also has a new headlight design and "3D-effect" taillights inspired by the Citroen DS3 Cabriolet.
The Technospace will also be the basis for the longer, seven-seat Grand C4 Picasso.
The C4 Picasso is Europe's fourth best-selling medium minivan after the Renault Scenic/Grand Scenic at No. 1; Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max at No. 2; and VW Touran at No. 3. European sales of the C4 Picasso were down nearly 25 percent to 77,927 units last year, according to JATO Dynamics.
You can reach Bruce Gain at brucegain@gmail.com.
