Recently, a well-known European manufacturer presented to the public its new city car called “C3 Citroen”. The manufacturing country (France) plans to conquer new ones based on the modern design of the new product, its good technical characteristics and reasonable price. Also, according to the company, the hatchback has changed its finishing materials to higher quality ones. But we will find out a little later whether it will be able to achieve its goal, but for now let’s take a closer look at the machine and find out what its manufacturing country wants to conquer.
Citroen C3: design review
If you look at the appearance of the new product, you will notice that the front part of the car has undergone the main changes. At the front, the hatchback has a new impact bumper; inside it, the manufacturer has provided space for LED headlights, which are called Fog lights are also present here - they are located slightly lower. also changed its design and became more voluminous. And this is not all the innovations with which the country that produces the Citroen C3 wants to conquer the market. The moldings on the side of the car are trimmed mainly with chrome, and from below you can see small reflectors that signal drivers about the appearance of an oncoming car at night.
Specifications
The country of origin of the Citroen C3 decided to focus on efficiency and environmental friendliness, completely replacing the 4-cylinder engine line with a three-cylinder one. From now on, the base engine is a 68-horsepower unit with a displacement of 1000 cubic centimeters. This engine really turned out to be economical - it consumes about 4.3 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers. The average is a 1.2-liter engine, the peak power of which is 82 horsepower. With such a unit, the new product consumes a little more (4.5 liters) of gasoline per 100 kilometers. The top-end engine with a power of 120 “horses” and a volume of 1500 “cubes” consumes no more than 6.5 liters of fuel per hundred. By the way, the latter engine is not included in the list of 3-cylinder engines - it was borrowed from the 208 Peugeot and will be available on both the Russian and European markets. The company also has 3 diesel units, but they will not be supplied to Russia. All engines are equipped with either a 4-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual gearbox. But it’s not a fact that the first option will survive until next year. In the future, the company plans to replace it with a more progressive 5-speed automatic transmission.
Price policy
The country of origin of the Citroen C3 decided not to greatly inflate the cost of its new product. Thus, the restyled version of the hatchback will rise in price by only 15,000 rubles and will cost about 500 thousand. As for the most expensive configuration, it will cost buyers 635 thousand rubles, but this is far from a budget price. At approximately the same price, a similar small car called Citroen C4 is offered, the country of origin of which also intends to conquer the entire world market.
Our Citroen C4 Sedan worked for a 60-hour marathon, showing itself very well ( ZR, 2013, No. 8 ). Now we decided to compare it with its analogue - a hatchback released in France. This version is now sold with a 120 hp gasoline engine. or with a 110-horsepower diesel engine (RUB 616,900–899,000). The sedan is also offered with gasoline units with a capacity of 115 or 150 hp. (RUB 579,000–853,000). Our sedan is just 150 horsepower.
The capabilities of engines and gearboxes (a 120-horsepower engine comes with a 4-speed automatic, and a 150-horsepower engine comes with a 6-speed automatic) in this case were the last thing that interested us. Now we will study something else - design differences between related cars and, of course, build quality.
MORE DETAILS
1. For some reason, our example does not have a front hood seal
Forgot? Or is it not provided? But the Russian car has sound insulation on the engine compartment lid.
2. Salons
The differences between the salons are mainly due to the trim levels (the sedan is richer). Even the most picky of our experts rated the materials, quality of workmanship and fit of parts equally highly.
3. The location of the seat heating wheels under the climate control unit on a Russian car is more convenient than the traditional French one - on the chair
4. French seats have more fashionable and comfortable headrests. But the rear sofa of the sedan is noticeably more spacious. Its base is 100 mm longer
5. The sedan's trunk also benefits. According to factory data, it has 440 liters, in a hatchback with the sofa folded down - 360 liters. According to our measurements, 404 and 364 liters, respectively.
6. Different markings of springs are due to the characteristics of the suspensions
In cars with a 150-horsepower engine, they are stiffer than in cars with a 120-horsepower engine. The front stabilizer is also 0.5 mm thicker. But on the move, the difference in the behavior of the cars is minimal. The ground clearance of both cars is excellent and, according to our measurements, the same: under steel protection 160 mm.
7. One of the few flaws of the Russian car is an incorrectly routed wiring harness near the expansion tank of the cooling system. Not a crime, but a mess.
There are advantages and disadvantages in the designs and configurations of both cars. But the quality of parts and assembly is almost identical. Even the most meticulous experts did not find any serious flaws. Well, of course, we will talk about the features of operating the Kaluga sedan regularly.
Serial assembly of Citroen C4 cars. According to the general director of the Russian representative office of Citroen, Henri Ribot, the model produced at the plant was adapted to the road and climatic conditions of our country. In particular, it received a retuned suspension and increased ground clearance by ten millimeters.
Citroen has prepared the Optima package especially for the domestic market, which includes climate control, 16-inch wheels, side airbags, curtain airbags, and a leather steering wheel. Prices for Optima start at 590 thousand rubles, and the cheapest version - Confort - will cost 559 thousand rubles. In addition, this car is also attractive because it can be purchased under the old car recycling program.
Meanwhile, Russian buyers are more interested in whether Russian-made cars differ in quality from their foreign counterparts? We tried to figure this out during a visit to the plant.
We didn't make a mistake with the timing
The plans of the PSA Peugeot Citroen alliance to build its plant in Russia became [known](/news/2006/06/06/psarus) in 2006. At the same time, [Russian officials](/news/2006/09/06/psarus) at various levels and [representatives](/news/2007/05/03/psarus) of the alliance said that the new enterprise could be located in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Pskov, Moscow region, Saratov region and the Republic of Tatarstan.
The exact location was not known at the time of the [signing](/news/2007/06/10/peugeot) agreement between PSA and the Ministry of Economic Development in June 2007. The French were satisfied with the territory that the Nizhny Novgorod region could provide, but the regional authorities soon [refused](/news/2007/12/27/psa) from cooperation, considering that PSA’s requests were changing “with alarming frequency and regularity.” What exactly frightened Nizhny Novgorod was not reported, but the government of the Kaluga region reacted loyally to the same requests, where construction of the plant began in June 2008.
A month earlier, in May, Mitsubishi, which planned to assemble Outlander SUVs at the site, announced its participation in the construction of the plant. In early 2009, with auto markets around the world in sharp decline, the Japanese decided to temporarily withdraw from the venture. Meanwhile, PSA did not intend to deviate from its plans and during 2009 continued construction of the plant, [promising](/news/2009/02/09/psaru) that from the second half of 2010 the company would begin producing cars.
As a result, the French managed to complete construction ahead of schedule. Moreover, they did this at an extremely favorable moment for automakers: the automobile market in Russia was just beginning to revive. The main reason for this, of course, was the state [program](/articles/2010/06/04/util) for the recycling of old cars, but back in March analysts began to note an increase in demand for those cars that were not subject to the program.
Already in March 2010, the PCMA Rus plant began test assembly of cars, and in April the first production Peugeot 308 rolled off the assembly line.
In five hours
Currently, the PCMA Rus plant, which assembles two models - Peugeot 308 and Citroen C4, operates in screwdriver assembly mode. Car kits arrive here from the French PSA plant in Mulhouse with a ready-made body and a fully equipped interior. The front axle with engine, rear axle and transmission are delivered separately in wooden boxes.
After a batch of bodies arrives at the plant, they are inspected for damage that may have occurred during transportation. Defective cars are sent back to France, the rest are sent to a warehouse, from where they are delivered to the assembly line. Moreover, in winter, bodies and engines must stand in a heated room for at least three hours so that their temperature becomes equal to the temperature in the workshop.
On the assembly line, the car goes through several stages, each of which takes workers no more than five minutes: first, the front axle with engine and transmission are screwed on the car, then the rear axle, then electrical wires are laid, and so on. Finished cars are sent to a post where an automated computer system checks the car's wheel alignment, as well as the adjustment of the headlights.
The next stage is a quality check, during which the car is looked for for damage to the body that could have occurred during the production process, as well as during transportation of the car. Cars with scratches are sent to a small paint shop, after which the car is checked again. The final stage of production is testing at a testing ground, where the operation of the technical “stuff” of the car is checked.
As a result, assembling one car from the moment of unloading its components from the container to loading the finished product onto a car transporter takes 4-5 hours of pure time. When working in two shifts, the plant produces up to 150 cars per day. On July 19, a third shift was introduced here, after which productivity increased to 200 cars per day.
So far, the plant produces only products of French brands, and with the start of assembly of the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV in the fall, its share will account for 20 percent of total production. The rest of the time the conveyors will be occupied by Peugeots and Citroens.
Like in France
According to the general director of the plant, Didier Alten, the French understand that even with screwdriver assembly, the human factor plays an important role in the quality of the car. If unqualified employees work at the plant, then Russian-assembled cars will be worse than their foreign counterparts, which means they will be unclaimed by buyers.
In order to avoid such a problem, all new employees, before starting work at the plant, undergo training at a specialized center located in Kaluga. Here, employees are told about the main stages of car assembly, and then they learn in practice how to assemble cars correctly. For this purpose, the center has test models that are already being produced and which are planned to be put on the assembly line in the near future. The training lasts five weeks. During this time, employees must learn to perform actions in a certain sequence and within a strictly allotted time, as required by production. In a factory, there is no “specialization” among shop floor operators: the same worker must be equally good at screwing bolts and laying electrical wires.
The teachers who monitor the students' progress are French, having previously worked at other Peugeot and Citroen training centers around the world. In addition, at the PCMA Rus plant itself, the work of the assembly shop operators is monitored by French specialists who are entrusted with supervisory functions.
In addition to the quality checks that are carried out on all cars after they leave the assembly line, the French regularly carry out quality audits. They select eight cars every day and see if the inspectors missed any defects in the assembly.
Currently, 70 percent of the plant's output does not require modification after it comes off the assembly line. For a young plant this is a good indicator, says Didier Alten, but in the future, as the workers’ experience increases, it should increase and strive for one hundred percent.
Full cycle
Starting from September 2010, the plant plans to set up screwdriver assembly of the Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007 crossovers, and a little later they will be joined by the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV. In total, in 2010 the plant plans to produce 20 thousand cars, and in 2011 - up to 45 thousand.
From the second quarter of 2012, the company will begin full-cycle production, when painting the body and completing the interior of the car will be carried out on its own territory. Currently, new workshops are being built next to the existing site, which are planned to be commissioned by the end of 2011.
In two years, the total area of the plant will be one hundred thousand square meters, and the number of employees will be increased to three thousand people. Production capacity at the first stage will be 120 thousand cars per year, in the future it can be increased to 300 thousand. The investment is estimated at 500 million euros.
At the same time, cars of these three brands have every chance to pass the test: the PCMA Rus plant is already called one of the most technically advanced and favorable for work - along with the Volkswagen plant, which is located several tens of kilometers from the French-Japanese plant.
In 1919, Citroen, one of the largest automobile companies in Europe, was founded. The first model of the brand became one of the most popular cars of the 20th century. The compact Citroen A was equipped with a 1.3-liter power unit, the power of which was 18 horsepower. The combination of a lightweight body, a powerful and reliable engine, as well as the low price of the model ensured the great popularity of Citroen cars.
After the first success, the brand began to create several cars at once; the company's founder, Andre Citroen, was captivated by the idea of creating a car that could become a platform for creating several models. At the same time, production of Model A exceeded one hundred copies per day. However, in 1921, the Citroen 5 CV Trefle was introduced, which promptly replaced the Model A, as its sales rate was gradually falling.
In parallel with this, it was Andre Citroen who became the first in the world to apply PR solutions in the automotive sector, which led to the brand gaining popularity far beyond the borders of France. By the end of the 20s, Citroen had representatives in all major European countries.
In 1929, two models were introduced at once - B12 and B14, which won the title of the most comfortable cars of their time. This was confirmed by sales of Citroen cars, which sold 135 thousand in just two years of production. And in 1931, the next model Citroen Grand Lux was introduced, which became the company's first premium car. The car was equipped with a 2.7 liter power unit, revolutionary for the European market, with a capacity of 53 horsepower. By 1933, Citroen, under the leadership of Andre, became the largest car manufacturer on the continent, ahead of the Italian FIAT and increasing car production to 1.1 thousand units per day.
However, already in 1934, the demand for cars from Citroen, which by that time had invested all its assets in the creation of new factories and technology centers, unexpectedly fell, thus the company found itself on the verge of bankruptcy. One of the reasons for such a rapid collapse was the global economic crisis. 2 months after the start of the bankruptcy procedure, 60% of the shares were purchased by the manufacturer of automobile tires, Michelin.
A few months later, the founder of the company, Andre Citroen, passes away. However, the heirs of the automotive legend tried to rectify the situation, which took them two decades. In 1955, the Citroen DS model was introduced, which became very popular in the automobile market of France and Italy. For the first time, the company was able to make a profit, which had not happened for more than twenty years. However, the period from 1955 to 1969 was not successful for Citroen. In 1976, the Citroen brand became part of the largest automaker in France at that time - Peugeot.
In the first half of the 90s of the twentieth century, the Citroen brand produced models such as Santia, Saxo and Berlingo, gradually regaining its former greatness. In addition, active preparations have begun for participation in several racing series. At the same time, several models of different classes are being born at once. The first of these was the Citroen C4 model, which belongs to the compact class C according to the European classification, followed by the C3 - B class, and the C5 - D class.
In 2004, just two years after participating in the World Rally Championship, French driver Sebastien Loeb, driving a Citroen Casar, became the winner of the general classification. This was followed by his victories in the C4, C3 and DS3 cars, bringing the total number of victories to 9. Thus, having taken part in 12 seasons of the championship, he set a record for the number of victories in the entire history of the WRC.
The company's lineup, against the backdrop of success in automobile competitions, was replenished with sports versions of well-known models, and in 2007, the first Citroen crossover, built on the Mitsubishi Outlander platform, was presented. In 2011, another compact crossover model was introduced, which became one of the most popular cars on the French market in 2012.
The new direction of the company was the creation of unique design. Due to the fact that all technological developments were carried out jointly with Peugeot, they did not require enormous investments.
In 2013, the Citroen C4 Picasso (five-seat version) was released, which soon, already in 2014, acquired an “older brother” Citroen Grand C4 Picasso with increased capacity (seven seats). The modernized version was a real leap forward and gave all subsequent models a completely new, sophisticated design. The car is designed on the EMP2 platform, thanks to which drivers of the new product have reduced the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere. This model was distinguished not only by its perfect appearance, but also by the introduction of a huge amount of modern technologies. For example, a convenient touch display that allows you to control all on-board systems.
It is worth noting that the 2013 and 2014 versions were able to collect more than 65 thousand orders. Cars began to be in great demand among large families.
