Citroën is taking the wraps off the C-Cactus, a radically different concept car, as well as the C4 BioFlex, to complement the exciting new C5 Airscape concept car. Together, these three models will help to underline the Company’s credentials as a producer of stylish and innovative green vehicles at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. 

The C-Cactus is an imaginative and ingenious eco-friendly concept car brimming with clever thinking and dramatic design, which demonstrates how an extremely environmentally-sensitive design is feasible for a similar price to a conventional car.

Low on consumption, like the cactus plant, the diesel hybrid model achieve close to the landmark 100mpg on the combined cycle helped by an innovative approach to reducing weight and impact on the environment by drastically cutting the number of components used – including even doing away with a conventional dashboard and bonnet.  It weighs just 1180kg, meaning that it can achieve a staggering 97.4mpg on the combined fuel consumption cycle.

Set to be launched on the Continent later this year, the C4 BioFlex, will be the Company’s first European flexfuel vehicle. Running on bioethanol, unleaded petrol or a mix of the two, this model offers a remarkable “field-to-wheel” reduction in CO₂ emissions of up to 40 percent.

Completing Citroën’s Green Team of three at Frankfurt will be the recently-announced C5 Airscape concept. This drop-top head-turner, with its sleek sculpted lines, features a fully automatic carbon-fibre folding roof and UrbanHybrid technology designed to minimise its impact on the environment.

The truly innovative C-Cactus is built on the Citroën C4 platform, yet uses only around half the components of a conventional car and incorporates many recycled components. It offers CO₂ emissions of just 78g/km and even a ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) mode whilst maximum speed is deliberately capped at 93mph.

Fitted with an ultra-clean Diesel Particulate Filter System, this ultra-efficient hybrid HDi drivetrain combines a 70bhp HDi diesel engine with an electric motor that provides an additional 30bhp of power. For urban driving, the ZEV mode provides silent, all-electric operation, and for journeys requiring successive acceleration and deceleration, the hybrid system limits fuel consumption by using both types of energy.  

A fresh look at design helps to keep production costs down meaning that the diesel hybrid car could be sold for a similar cost as a conventional car.  Citroën engineers focused on an original approach that sets the C-Cactus apart from its peers.To do this, they streamlined the number of parts and mechanisms required, incorporated several functions into a single part and removed all features that are non-essential to the running of the car or to the comfort and safety of the occupants.

Maximising the car’s green credentials, the C-Cactus uses a significant number of recycled or recyclable materials. The windscreen, windows and tyres are all recyclable, as are the steel door panels, that are unpainted but which have been treated for corrosion. The interior materials also reflect the innovative ecological direction of the C-Cactus’ design. Environmentally-friendly cork and felt are used for many parts and the patterned floor uses recycled leather taken from off-cuts.