C4 Cactus poses Citroen design direction

With the new PSA strategy to have its DS cars spun off into a separate premium brand, the Citroen division from where they came will have more freedom to come up with exciting designs, writes Brian Byrne.

That's the view expressed by Citroen Design Director Alexandre Malval, when he was outlining the concepts behind the development of the new C4 Cactus, in Dublin yesterday. He was speaking at the Irish launch of the car.

"It's an opportunity to rediscover and reinvent our history," he said, adding that 'smooth', 'comfort', 'intuitive', 'intelligent' and 'refined' will be the foundation keywords for the Citroen brand in the future.

In the creation of the C4 Cactus, Malval said his design team had researched through structure and product design outside the automotive industry, as well as events such as the Milan Fashion Show, looking for inspiration.

"We asked the question, 'why are some products memorable because they are simple?' The first words given to the design team were that the car should be robust, pure, and light."

The result was a car 200kg lighter than the C4 hatchback, with a similar interior space, and typified by a smooth external graphic and 'memorable' interior details in a simple but high-technology ethos.

Externally the shape is softer than the more aggressive styling of many direct competitors, with unsculpted profile and doors. An intriguing feature are the 'Airbump' panels on the doors and near vulnerable elements of the front and rear. "The shape of the car was pure, and we decided that it would need protection," Malval says. "The inspiration for these came from the air bubbles in the soles of sports shoes."

The Airbumps come in black as standard, and are available in four colours. Made from polyurethane, they have been tested in multiple simulated supermarket trolley 'bashes' that showed them undamaged when unprotected doors would have had to be replaced.

Inside are design cues based on the old leather-bound trunks which people doing the grand travel thing used generations ago. With a charge that dashboard storage space should be maximised and accessible, the design engineers came up with a unique idea to put the airbags above the windscreen to allow for this.

Other elements in the C4 Cactus include the 7" touchscreen now familiar from other PSA Group brands, though set in a much-decluttered interior. There's a panoramic glass roof with a coating that gives the same UV protection as Category 4 sunglasses.

An emphasis on saving weight and being more environmentally thoughtful resulted in the in-blade screenwashers, which work so efficiently that a water reservoir of only half the normal capacity is required.

With a claim of running costs being up to 20 percent less than even its C4 hatch sibling, the Cactus offers power from even more efficient versions of the Group's 1.2 3-cylinder petrol engines, and a diesel.

The launch yesterday referenced the old Citroen 2CV of 1948, the car that arguably put ordinary French people back on the roads following the ravages of WW2. Its design brief was simple, that it should be able to carry four passengers, 50kg of cargo in the boot ... and be able to travels in the fields if necessary.

The development of C4 Cactus was done in a similar way, if leaving out the travelling in the fields requirement. It would have more design, more useful technology, and be produced with a controlled budget which made it accessible.

Alexandre Malval thinks the car launched yesterday has been delivered within these parameters. So too does Citroen Ireland MD Frederic Soulier (below on left, with the designer). Now, across Europe and in Ireland respectively, they're hoping that buyers will agree.

Ford design boss talks next Kinetic Design

IC+T PODCAST: Ford's executive head of design Martin Smith talks to Brian Byrne about the Evos showcar to be unveiled at Frankfurt. The interview took place at a preview for journalists in Berlin earlier this week.
(Audio: 7'47")

A childhood dream in the BMW X3

When working out a new version of an existing car you have to take into account a number of things that will have changed, writes Brian Byrne.

"We try to find out what the market is like now, how the environment has changed, and perhaps the customers have changed," says Ulrich Stroehle of the design team for the interior of the new generation BMW X3, pictured above.

"We try to bring the new model into exactly the position where the old model had been in its environment. It is a case of creating a new level of modernity to show the buyers that it is an all-new car."

Being careful with an icon

When it comes to making changes to an iconic car like the BMW Mini, a designer faces restrictions, writes Brian Byrne. Especially when looking at incorporating technology like the next generation of pedestrian safety.

"You have to find a level between the 'must' changes, such as for pedestrian protection, and not changing the character of the car dramatically," says Carola Weyers from BMW's Design Department, who was responsible for the design, colour and trim aspects of the revisions of the Mini range for 2011. "You must be careful that you don't step away from the iconic element."

Aston, Caddy, get design awards

Car designers round the world have voted the Aston Martin Rapide and the Cadillac Converj as their favourite designs for 2009. Their creators received awards during the Geneva Motor Show last week.

The two cars won Best Production and Best Concept categories respectively of the Car Design of the Year Awards. The Awards result from a poll of the readers of Car Design News, the global online resource for the professional design community.

The Awards were presented at the Car Design Night event in Geneva last week, on the first evening of the motor show.

Antonella does, doesn't live in Rome

Antonella was the guiding personality for the Ford Verve, a design study that served as the basis for the latest-generation Fiesta.



She was also entirely imaginary, a character invented by Ford designers to help them imagine cars better tailored to their intended customers.

Interesting feature in The New York Times.

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Peugeot Auto Design award at DIT

Peugeot in Ireland has presented an award to this year's top student in the Automotive Design module within the Product Design Degree at DIT Bolton Street.



The overall winner, 26-year old Vahid Reza Soroush, a final year student living in Dundrum, was chosen from a group of 24 who have studied the course this year. Vahid, as part of his prize, will now see his concept car come to life as an actual model, to be presented at the College's end-of-year display in Smithfield Plaza from June 9-14.

The Automotive Design module is tutored by Thomas Murphy and David Copperwhite, through the Schools of Mechanical & Transport and Engineering Technology.

The brief for this year entailed designing a vehicle to move one or more people and goods around urban centres with the minimum amount of pollution at maximum efficiency.

Vahid's concept car is a 4-seater encased in special solar paint, housing a hydrogen unit and li-polymer batteries and fitted with Michelin Tweel tyres, which eliminate the need for housing a spare wheel.

Pictured at the presentation are Vahid Reza Soroush, Winner; Martin Dunne, Peugeot Technical Manager; and Thomas Murphy, Course Tutor.

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Will iPhone influence car design?

Apple's new iPhone, which went on sale just last month amid a blaze of hype worthy of a blockbuster movie, is very likely to have a major impact on the design of automobile interiors over the next few years. (The Car Connection) more

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