A greener Citroën

Citroën has embarked on a new project to look into the feasibility of producing an ultra-environment friendly vehicle based on the critically acclaimed C-Cactus concept car.

The C-Cactus represents a new approach to eco-friendly design. The radical, essentialist vehicle, with its emphasis on environmental technology, features a simplified design throughout, significantly reducing the number of components and leading to a reduction in weight, cost and the impact on the environment.

Removing features that are non-essential to the running of the car or the comfort and safety of the occupants - even doing away with the dashboard - has resulted in an interior comprising around half the parts of a similarly-sized conventional car. The door panels are made of just two parts, compared to a conventional car and many components are made from recycled materials.

The project will consider a range of powerplants,including a 1.0-itre, sub 100g/km CO2, petrol; a Hyotion2 diesel-lectric hybrid returning near 100mpg fuel economy and CO2 emissions of just 78g/km,or a 100 per cent electric model, similar to the version which is on display at the Paris Motor Show until next Sunday, and which offers zero emissions with a top speed and range of almost 70mph and 100 miles respectively.