Citroen Elysee: Business Opportunity

Ooooh, a new Citroën! Aaaah, but but I know this one! Yes, this is the C-Elysée, already sold in many other countries, but not here!

Based on the same technical platform as the Citroen C3 and Peugeot 2008, the C-Elysée is produced since 2012 for the Spanish, Algerian, Turkish and also some overseas department and some Central European countries. A Chinese factory as the product for the local market, which is already the second generation of this sedan, while European versions are manufactured in Spain.

Aesthetically, the C-Elysée is a notchback sedan lines rather soft and pleasant, without much fuss, but still has trouble hiding it is actually a Peugeot 301 facelift.

Peugeot 301

No, not that one. This one.

Peugeot 301 (also)

4.47 m long and 1.74 m wide, its wheelbase is 2.65 m. The trunk has a very comfortable volume for the category of 506 l. You still have well noted that the three-box configuration is far from having the favors hexagonal drivers (unlike those of southern Europe or North Africa, for example).

Citroën has made it simple for the range of the C-Elysée: a single trim level and two engines. And it's time to talk about the price, which is ... well ... surprising. Or not, moreover, since the C-Elysée is proposed in emerging market, it is necessarily sold at a price of more content: € 13,450. You said low cost? Not really. As the recent Fiat Tipo, she slips between the normal ranges and low cost to occupy a niche hitherto unpublished. The positioning will it be good? Why not, except that unlike the Tipo which will be a true range (and especially a 5-door hatchback and a station wagon), the C-Elysée remains confined to this single trunk, which necessarily limit its spread. The interior is neat but not very aesthetic taste. Accustomed as we are to have huge multimedia screen, we did a little background with a display that seems taken from a Peugeot 206. All, however, the functional air and small leather steering wheel even has the audacity to have a flat surface in its lower part!

Still, the facilities are far from low cost again because they base include air conditioning, a Bluetooth audio system, cruise control, under-inflation detection, electric front windows, ESP and airbags 4 . For good measure, it still lacks a GPS unavailable even in the few options. The engines are tested PureTech 82 hp petrol and 100 hp diesel BlueHDI, while the manual transmission (auto box overlooking one of the pictures is not available in France, for now at least). Performance is adequate for this type of vehicle, to customer does not necessarily trying to beat the acceleration records: Vmax of 169 km / h for PureTech (183 km / h in diesel), 12.9 seconds for 0 to 100 km / h (10.8) and mixed conso 4.8 l / 100 km (3.8).

What are the ambitions with this Citroën C-Elysée? The targets are in any case all designated: Fiat Tipo 4P, Dacia Logan in its most exclusive versions and that's about all. Still, for lack of a body more suited to the French market, the C-Elysée is expected to remain a niche car: taxis, bikes or administrations for example. It probably will not upset the market, even if the slot sandwiched between low cost and normal ranges looks pretty interesting to explore. The communication of the brand on this new model is also rather quiet: no official announcement, not to put forward the model and no presence in Geneva yet barely finished furniture. Remains a "novelty" in PSA, it is rare at this time and it's always good to take!