2nd September 1999

TRENDSETTING CITROËN DEBUTS AT THE SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW

Visitors to the Sydney International Motor Show (15-24 October 1999) will be able to see the most advanced model in a new class of car that is taking Europe by storm with Citroën's Xsara Picasso bringing the Mini MPV to Australia.

And the Citroën Picasso is so new, it is on display at the Sydney Show in production form six weeks before its European launch.

The Mini MPV class, although it has just three members, will over take the big MPV class in Europe sales during the next 12 months with this new style of car set to become for the new millennium what the 4WD has been for the 1990s: The car to be seen in.

The Mini MPV, exemplified by the Citroën Picasso, has achieved this by offering a unique combination: An exterior size and footprint on the road little larger than a conventional medium hatchback, but, thanks to the monospace, or single box design and added height, a level of interior space that is unimaginable in a hatchback. Yet, it is as easy to drive and maneuverable as a conventional car.

To this package Citroën adds the features that would expected of such an innovative and stylish marque.

It is based on the platform of the acclaimed Citroën Xsara, which endows it with class leading ride quality, handling and roadholding. Its unique exterior styling that sets it apart in an already innovative class houses an interior that builds on an already spacious envelope with space for five occupants and their luggage.

The Citroën Xsara Picasso will go on sale in Australia at the end of 2000 with prices expected to start just over $30,000. Full pricing and Australian specifications will be announced when the Xsara Picasso goes on sale.

Citroën Xsara Picasso: Innovation in vehicle design Unveiled at the 1998 Paris Motor Show, the Citroën Xsara Picasso owes its exterior and interior styling to the Citroën Creative Styling Centre. Reflecting new concepts in style, ergonomics and practicality the Xsara Picasso is spacious, user-friendly and versatile.

A single-box vehicle with the continuous line of the windscreen and bonnet, the Xsara Picasso is a hatchback at the rear with its raked rear window. The morphology of the vehicle is a first in the world of automotive design. The dimensions of the Xsara Picasso place it squarely in the family of compact vehicles, but the interior is exceptionally user-friendly and spacious as a result of the vehicle's astonishing proportions.

Citroën Xsara Picasso's overall length (4.27 metres) places it between the Citroën Xsara and the Citroën Xantia, while its height (1.63 m) places it between the Xantia and the Citroën Evasion people mover. The width is 1.75 m. With its interior space and generous wheelbase of 2.76 m, the Xsara Picasso offers five real seats (the three at the rear being of identical size) and a vast boot of 515 litres or in other words, a load capacity equivalent to that of an wagon in the Class above.

The range is based on a single level of trim and three powerplants: two petrol (1.6i and 1.8i 16V) developing 65 kW and 85 kW respectively, and one diesel 2.0 Turbo Diesel HDi developing 66 kW.

The name Xsara Picasso, surprises and catches the imagination. One of the greatest artists of this century, Citroën Xsara Picasso broke with accepted conventions to share his personal vision of the world. It was therefore natural for an original and inventive marque such as Citroën, a marque with a worldwide reputation as an innovator, renowned for its ability to design cars with a difference, to associate the name of Xsara Picasso with the first Citroën car of the third millennium.

Responding to customer requirements, the Citroën Xsara Picasso combines the versatile and modular practicality of an all-purpose vehicle with the looks, safety, robust design and driving pleasure of a saloon. The Xsara Picasso combines the qualities of several automotive families. It can be compared to a saloon, an wagon, a people-carrier and even a cabriolet when it is equipped with a large sunroof extending back over the second row of seats.

The vehicle is designed to offer a living area in which the well-being of all occupants is taken into account. The spacious and modular interior, the three rear seats, the flat floor forming a walkway and the generous stowage space illustrate Citroën's determination to make life on board a pleasurable experience. The height of the driving position - mid-way between a saloon and a people-carrier - is a major improvement. The vehicle is designed to make everyday tasks easy. Moreover, the Xsara Picasso is equipped with a wealth of features to make sure that children travel in comfort and safety.

The vehicle is designed to combine driving pleasure and comfort with a high level of safety. The multiplexed electrical architecture offers a number of new functions including smart front and rear windscreen wipers and automatic locking. It also rationalises the electrical equipment for increased reliability and simplifies repairability through improved diagnostics.

The Xsara Picasso offers a generous level of equipment for the safety and comfort of vehicle occupants. In terms of safety, it is equipped as standard with twin front airbags (the passenger airbag can be deactivated) and twin side airbags to protect the head and chest, front seatbelts with force limiters and pyrotechnic pretensioners, ABS, a transponder, and wide-field rearview mirrors among other features.

In terms of comfort, the Xsara Picasso is equipped with variable power steering, electric front windows with one-touch control and an anti-nipping device on the driver's side, two electric, defrosting rearview mirrors, central locking with HF control, an onboard computer and height-adjustable driver's seat and steering wheel.

To meet customer requirements, the Citroën Xsara Picasso provides generous stowage space and focuses on a host of "minor" details that simplify everyday use: an indicator on the instrument cluster to show whether the child safety lock has been activated; warning signals to indicate a risk of black ice or inform the driver that the key has been left in the ignition, the doors are open or that he is over the speed limit; doors designed to open in three positions, an indicator showing the distance to be covered before the next scheduled maintenance operation, automatic locking if the driver forgets, a driver's footrest, and a car radio with automatic volume adjustment and fingertip controls.

The Xsara Picasso was developed within the framework laid down by Citroën's Product Development Charter. The project took 151 weeks and involved an investment of FF 1.9 billion of which FF 1 billion in development costs (design, quality, tests, prototypes, process engineering).

The Xsara Citroën Xsara Picasso is scheduled to arrive on the market at the end of 1999 in Europe and in Australia at the end of 2000. It will be assembled at the Vigo plant in Spain.

For further information please
e-Mail Miles Williams - General Manager on
100250.3324@compuserve.com

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