Yes, the French are gonna be back soon. With Citroen. And with at least two exciting new models, maybe three. But first some historical ramblings and then the cars, as Gautam Sen tries out a couple of Frenchies

Every other story in India on cars somehow has to start with the following sentence: “The Indian car industry was revolutionised by Maruti.” Yes we all know that. And yes, this story will have to start that way too…
The 800 was like no other car we’d seen here. It was small, efficient and modern, and the engine drove the front wheels. And when the 800 was introduced, front wheel drive, along with disc brakes at the front, gave rise to a series of urban legends about how the car under emergency braking would tip over, butt-over-bonnet. Rubbish, of course. Today, as you drive a Maruti or a Hyundai or a Tata or a Honda or a Toyota, you don't think twice about the fact that most of these cars are front-drivers. But a little over two decades ago, FWD was a revolution.
Automobile manufacturers like Alvis of Great Britain and Germany’s Adler had fiddled with FWD for a bit, but the cars had serious teething troubles; in 1934, Citroen introduced the Traction Avant (French for front-wheel drive), and that revolutionary car became the first successful front-driver. In fact, it was so successful that it stayed in production till 1957, with three-quarters of a million made.

Soon after the launch of the Traction Avant, Citroen got working on a small inexpensive car that could “transport four people and 50 kilos of potatoes at 60kph.” Much like the ‘Rs 1 lakh’ car that Tata is talking about. The 2CV (2hp) as the little car was called, was launched in 1948, and remained in production till 1990! With over five million made, it redefined the way a car was made: innovations included a flat-twin air-cooled engine that drove – of course – the front wheels, a highly flexible suspension that gave terrific ride quality, profiled bodywork and the extensive use of aluminium and plastic for the first time. Yes, it looked quirky, the shape strange – grandma’s wicker basket turned upside down, as a wag put it – but it was cheap, simple, easy to maintain and inexpensive to run. Symbolising the liberation of France, a return to simplicity and a thumbs-down to convention, the 2CV became the first of the cult cars. And Citroen didn’t sit back: in 1955 it unveiled the DS. Diametrically opposite to the 2CV, the DS was big, lavish, futuristic, and as ever, innovative to the finest details. The real ground-breaking feature was the high-pressure hydraulic power unit, which controlled a number of vital functions, such as a flexible, hydropneumatic suspension with an attitude corrector. The metal springs of conventional suspension systems were replaced by a gas and liquid that worked together to set new standards in comfort and roadholding. The assassination attempt on General de Gaulle in 1962 set the seal on the renown of the DS. Although the bodywork and tyres were riddled with bullets, the presidential DS moved on at high speed. And if you have seen the movie, The Day of the Jackal (a fictionalised take-off on the assassination attempt) you would have, like me, fallen in love with the goddess (Deese is French for goddess). Obviously, almost a million-and-a-half other people fell in love with it too.

Okay, so you have had enough history. But the point was to get you to understand the significance of Citroen, a marque that epitomises innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. An approach that hasn’t always worked. In fact, innovations like the hydro-pneumatic suspension system have been the cause of problems for Citroen. When it works it is great. When it doesn’t work, it is rather complicated to repair, and calls for specialist help, not easily available worldwide. But since the DS, Citroen’s hydropneumatic system has advanced a lot, to the point that it’s very reliable today – Citroen typically guarantees the system for 200,000km before needing an overhaul. And under Peugeot control (with which Citroen merged in 1974), the quirkiness has been toned down, though innovation’s still a Citroen USP.

Though at the time of going to press, Citroen has yet to make an official statement, we know it is planning to enter the Indian market. And like Audi, BMW, Nissan and some others, Citroen are planning to start off with CBU imports first. The firm’s in the process of deciding on importers and distributors, and will have up to ten dealerships in the major metros of India.
The car on the cover, the new C6, will not be the first car here, as right-hand-drive versions are still some months away, but it should be here later in 2006. Unveiled at the last Geneva motor show, Citroen’s flagship goes on sale in France and lhd Europe in early 2006. The C6 is the putative great grandson of the DS (the CX and the XM following), and it carries forward a great tradition. Look at the car, and you can see that it doesn’t look like anything else on the road today.

Designed to rival the Merc E-Class, the BMW 5-Series and the Audi A6, the C6’s approach to luxury is very different from the Teutons’. The C6 is slightly longer, slightly wider and marginally higher than the E-Class, and the wheelbase outdoes the E-Class’ by 7cm. I had a close look at the display car in the foyer of Citroen’s head office near Paris, and interior space is impressive, with remarkable legroom at the rear. As you can see from the pictures, the C6 (clearly inspired by the Citroen CX of 1975) is very different from the Germans: it has the emotional appeal of an elegant, dynamic coupe with the proportions and features of an executive limousine. The frameless doors – a nod to prestige-coupe design – make the cabin bright and airy. The rear quarter light is partially merged with the rear door, creating a fastback profile accentuating the flowing lines of the car.
Looking at the photographs, you may think the car is a hatch. It isn’t. The rear window is concave, and it scoops out the boot, which opens like in a three-box saloon. The spearhead-shaped rear lamp clusters sit atop the rear boot, meeting the flying buttress-style D- pillars. Overhangs that are longer at the front than the rear give the C6 an aggression and sportiness the Germans just cannot match. And to match them on performance, Citroen will be launching the C6 with two engine options to start with: a 208bhp 2.7 common-rail diesel V6 and a 215bhp 3.0-litre petrol V6, both engines mated to six-speed autos and both good for 230kph and 0-100kph in under 10 seconds. In fact, the diesel is slightly quicker than the petrol when sprinting (0-100kph in 8.9 secs), but that is explained when you look at the torque: the petrol develops a class-average 290Nm, but the diesel generates a truck-like 440!

What will we get? The diesel looks most logical, and though Citroen hasn’t as yet announced any prices for the C6 in Europe, the guesstimate is Euro 40,000. After the current import duties on an ex-factory price that’ll be two-thirds that of the European one, the C6 could be brought into India for between Rs 25 and 30 lakh, or about 20 percent cheaper than an E-Class. A situation which begets the question: will typical prestige car buyers prefer a Citroen over a Merc even if the former is more powerful, better-equipped, more efficient and cheaper? Well, the typical ones may not, but then Citroen will be happy to get the atypical lot. And they are not- so-insignificant, Citroen believes.

So what will you be getting for the Rs 25 lakh-odd price tag? Goodies and features that will warm the cockles of all gadget freaks. To start, a heads-up display where key driving information, such as speed and navigation data, is projected onto the windscreen in the driver’s direct line of sight, so you get this vital data without taking your eyes off the road. And you can switch the display on and off, adjust image height and brightness and select the information required. An electric parking brake that automatically adjusts the tight ening torque necessary to bring the car to a halt. LDWS – lane departure warning system – to counter drowsiness at the wheel. LDWS detects any unintentional lane changes on a motorway at speeds of 80kph and over. A vibrating mechanism mounted in the driver’s seat is activated on the side the car is drifting to alert the driver, who can then steer the car back on course. Xenon dual function directional headlamps which turn in the direction you’re steering, so you ‘see’ around corners.

The C6 also has parking assistance, and in front as well as the rear sensors we know by now. Plus rain sensors for the automatic wipers and illumination sensors for the lights. Plus, high-tech communication equipment that includes voice-activated telematics for making phone calls, finding directions, or accessing address book, sending and receiving SMS, all through a Bluetooth hands-free system that allows you to do all these without taking your hands off the steering wheel. And a ten-speaker JBL hi-fi… And note that the C6 features nine airbags. And as it is based on the same platform as Citroen’s other big car, the C5, the C6 is also expected to earn a five-star rating (like the C5 did) in the EuroNCAP crash tests. Incidentally, the C6 also features laminated side windows, that not only filter out wind and external noise, but also act as a safety device: the window is made up of two sheets of glass, assembled using plastic films, and in the event of an accidental breakage or burglary, the glass sticks to the plastic films and remains in place, making them virtually impenetrable.

There’s also soft diffusion dual-zone climate-control – the front vents work in tandem with the rear blowers to create a uniform blanket of air around the passengers, eliminating unpleasant draughts. Along with electric front seats, you have the option of electric seats for two rear passengers too; a comfy three-seater bench is standard.
But what should impress a potential purchaser most is ride comfort. The most advanced hydractive suspension system yet promises astonishing ride comfort and body control, and it’s intelligent enough to raise or lower itself a few millimetres, depending on road conditions. If the old flagship Citroens are anything to go by, the C6 should also set new standards for ride comfort. Hopefully, I will be able to tell you more on that front soon. But what I can tell you more about is the car that Citroen will be launching first, the C5. The C5 has been Citroen’s large family car mainstay since its launch in 2001. Last year the C5 underwent an extensive makeover that cleaned up its looks; the C5 is right in the middle of the European ’C’ segment, which is essentially the D in India: a direct competitor to the Honda Accord, the Hyundai Sonata Embera, the Ford Mondeo and their ilk.

The C5 at 4.75 metres long and 1.78 metres wide is slightly shorter and narrower than the Accord, but with a height of 1.48 metres, marginally more than that of the Accord, and with a wheelbase of 2.75 metres, which is almost 4cm longer than the Japanese car, the C5 is surely as spacious, if not more so. It is available in Europe with a range of three petrols and three diesel powerpacks: a 117bhp 1.8 petrol, a 143bhp 2.0-litre petrol and the flagship 210bhp 3.0-litre V6, plus common-rail diesels in iterations of 1.6-litre (110bhp), 2.0 (138bhp) and a 2.2-litre unit that develops 136bhp. Five-speed manuals are mated to the two smaller petrols and the smallest diesel, a new six-speed manual is solely available with the 2.0-litre diesel and the rest – the V6 and the 2.2 diesel – get automatics.
Obviously, Citroen will not be launching all variants in India. The chances are they’ll start off with, at most, one petrol and one diesel. In fact, I’d bet on Citroen’s first car for India being a diesel. Firstly, because Peugeot-Citroen makes some of the best diesels in the world; secondly, Indians prefer diesels, especially given the rise in oil prices; thirdly, Citroen’s international press head, Gro Hoeg, had arranged the 2.0 diesel for me to drive.

The 2.0-litre diesel (which Citroen calls the HDi 138) is really something. It develops 138 horses – 69bhp/litre from an oil-burner – just four bhp less than the similar-sized petrol in the Honda. But even more impressive is torque, which at 320Nm, is 129 more than that of the Honda, a marque famous for its petrol powerplants. And with that close-ratio six-speed manual, 0-100 is dispersed in under 10 seconds, as the car storms to a top speed of 205kph. And all this while doing 12kpl in the European urban cycle.
What the figures don’t tell you is the sheer tractability of the engine. Though first is rather low, with second and third you can do most of your city driving, a flat torque curve aiding driveability as 90 percent of the torque is available at as low as 1000rpm, the engine pulling in any gear with turbine-like smoothness. Putting all six ratios to use in the city is well-nigh impossible, though snicking into sixth at 60kph will have the engine ticking away at barely over 1,000rpm. Flooring the throttle at that point will not see any snatching, just the revs building up gradually. And though there is some diesel clatter at idling and cold start, the noise is hardly intrusive.

Even more impressive is the ride quality. With its velvety-smooth road manners, the C5 dominates its category for suspension and damping comfort and I can safely add that there is no car in India today that can match the C5 in this aspect. I took the C5 through some of the worst bylanes of Paris, and the Hydractive III suspension system (with hydraulic MacPherson strust at front, coupled with the rear consisting of a cross-member along with trailing arms and anti-roll bars) excelled, with the auto-adaptive suspension increasing the ride height of the vehicle automatically, smoothening out all irregularities. Driving over cobblestones had the C5 pattering away audibly, but with hardly any vibrations coming through. Furthermore, with a switch on the central console, it is possible to adjust the ride height. If the going is rough, the ground clearance can be increased by 13mm – a very useful feature for India.
Along with the hydropneumatic suspension, the C5 (like the C6) also has a host of features that mark it out. The C5 also features Xenon dual-
function directional headlamps, rear and front parking assistance with manoeuvres displayed on a multi- function screen, automatic wipers and lights, automatic aircon with separate controls for driver and passenger, ABS, EBD and traction control, plus seven airbags, all contributing to the C5’s class-leading five-star EuroNCAP safety rating.

And then there is LDWS, which, as I have explained, detects an unintentional lane change on motorway speeds, when the indicator is not activated. I tried it on the C5. Veer to the right and the right side edge of the seat starts vibrating, nay slapping gently on the right cheek of your buttocks. Veer left, the left buttock gets slapped gently. So if you see a chap in a C5 veering from the left to right to left again, you will have an idea about his sexual proclivities. And yes, it is possible to switch off the sadistic slapper.
One mustn’t forget the boot. Unlike the C6, the C5’s a hatch, even though it looks like a saloon, which gives the C5 considerable flexibility. With the seats in place, boot volume is a class-average 471 litres; but with the seats down, the rear of the C5 can swallow a van-like 1315 litres of thingummies.

Obviously, the C5 will be very different from the Accord, the Sonata Embera and the others, with unique features and abilities that will make it one special car. Yet the crucial point will be the pricing, as Citroen is an unknown brand here. The HDi 138 C5 sells in Europe for a little over Euros 24,000 – Rs 12-odd lakh, and should come here for about Rs 17 lakh. Pretty keen.
The day I returned the C5, I got a C4 for the weekend. The C4 slots in below the C5, and is in a very tough segment populated by cars like the VW Golf and Skoda Octavia. The C4 is available in two body styles: a five-door hatch and a three-door hatch, which Citroen prefers to call a coupe. And one could call it that, as the shape of the three-door is distinctively different from that of the five-door: more rakish, more sporty,
and in the metal, quite striking. And nothing like anything in India yet.

The five-door is a hunchback of a hatchback, and I’m not sure people will pay Skoda money for a hatch (the Octy’s seen as a three-box here.) Citroen shares my doubts; it appears the C4 coupe is more likely, as a niche product, as India’s first sports coupe, with as much space as a Skoda, yet which looks so very stylish and different. It actually has more space than the Octy, though the boot is smaller, and the car I drove had that HDi 138 bomb, though that’s likely to be quite expensive for India, and is more likely to be supplanted by a 110bhp 1.6 petrol and a 92bhp 1.6 diesel. But then once again, we must remember that the C4 Coupé will not really be seen as a rival to the Octavia, the Corolla and other mainstream saloons. What the C4 Coupé can offer is something quite distinctive, something stylish with features that are again very different from the other cars in that price range.

The nicest bit of the C4, I must say, was the optional glass roof. Other than making the car more airy and bright you could get to see the Eiffel Tower without craning your neck. But more useful is the USP of the C4: the multifunctional fixed centre of the steering wheel. The C4 is the first car with a hub centre that is fixed, whilst the steering wheel rotates around it. The central pod ensures that all necessary controls – speed limiter, cruise control, radio, on-board computer – are within easy reach of the driver’s hands and that he doesn’t need to take his hand off the wheel. In use, the functionality of the system becomes obvious, though twirling the wheel from the inside when taking a quick U-turn results in the knuckles getting caught between the wheel and the centre boss. Ouch! I guess it is a matter of getting used to. What was easy to get used to was the arrangement of the instrumentation. The C4 innovates with a central translucent instrument cluster that provides all necessary information except engine speeds: the rev-counter is another digital display immediately ahead of the driver. Serious racing gadgetry, that!
And yes, the scented air freshener. The C4 comes with purpose-designed air-freshener dispenser that is placed in the central air vent to better diffuse the fragrance, of which there is choice of nine different perfumes including sandalwood, musk, bamboo and lotus!
What the C4 doesn’t have is the hydractive suspension system, and that tells. Ride quality is nowhere near the C5’s, though it matches most cars in its segment, it rides well. Conventionally suspended by independent MacPherson struts at front and a flexible transverse beam at the rear, the C4 has no hydropneumatic intervention at all. The result is that damping is class-average and ride quality is like every other car. Road-holding and handling are surefooted, yet steering is a bit lifeless and you’ll be disappointed if you are looking for precise feel and feedback. However, for most drivers it’s a polished all- rounder and great to look at.
And whether we will all get the chance to look at them on the roads of Bharat will depend on the French giant. They are coming, but they do not want to make any mistakes this time. They have the products, great diesel powerpacks, efficient cars, distinctive styling. Only the brand needs to be built.