Currently reading: Citroën revives idle-kill fuel saver

Citroen is launching a new stop-start C3 model at the Paris Motor Show that cuts the engine in traffic jams to save fuel. The C3 Stop & Start kills the motor whenever the engine is idling and instantly restarts it at a touch of the accelerator. The system will initially be available only with the 90bhp 1.4 petrol engine mated to the Sensodrive automated manual ’box.

Citroën is claiming economy gains of 10 per cent in town driving, where cars on average spend nearly a third of the time standing still. It says drivers can expect fuel savings of up to six per cent in mixed driving conditions.

Supplier Valeo, which builds the stop-start kit for Citroën, predicts that most cars will use cut-out systems within 10 years. However, the technology was first seen 10 years ago on Fiats and VWs – and it failed to win market acceptance then.

The Stop & Start will be on sale in the UK, but no price has been fixed.

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