Currently reading: Citroen C-Cactus 'too radical'
But concept will reach production in a mmore heavily modified form

The Citroen C-Cactus concept car will reach production in a different form, after customer clinics questioned the car’s back-to-basics interior.

Research has uncovered aspects of the car that potential buyers were not happy with. The lack of dashboard and the way its instruments are clustered around the steering column were said to be particularly off-putting.

Citroen is also considering fitting electric windows instead of the concept’s wind-up units, which reduce complexity.

But Citroën boss Frederic Banzet said the production C-Cactus will still be “an essential car”. That means its feature and equipment content will be pared back to keep the price and weight down, enabling Citroën to produce a cheap, fuel-efficient car.

Banzet also said that unlike the Logan - rival Renault’s stripped-down value car, which is not part of the Renault range - the C-Cactus will sit within the regular Citroen line-up.

Citroen is also working on a successor to the C6, although the replacement will, according to Banzet, be “something different”. It will still be a flagship car, but of an as-yet-undisclosed format, though some kind of crossover seems possible.

Banzet believes that Citroen needs a flagship model “to stretch our designers and engineers”, arguing that the process of its creation will benefit the development of the rest of the range.

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Phinehas 11 February 2010

Re: Citroen C-Cactus 'too radical'

Of course, electric windows could always be an option - or is that too difficult a concept?

I agree completely with the 'car clinics are eejits' comments. How many of them would be in the market for a C-Cactus anyway?

What really caught my eye was the mention of a C6 replacement. That's where I'm going to be looking. Of course, I'll never own one, but it's nice to know such cars exist -or in this case, will exist.

drivenfromthere... 3 February 2010

Re: Citroen C-Cactus 'too radical'

BOH wrote:
roverfan1984 wrote:
The C-Cactus needs to have manual windows, a basic interior, preferably rubber flooring instead of carpet, & if people dont like it they can go elsewhere
I agree entirely - I bought a VW Fox 12 months ago - wind-up windows, no central locking, no computer, no electrically-operated wing-mirror costing £120 to replace when the vandals knock it off, no complex engine-management chip which costs £1000 to replace. It's robustly built, roomy, quiet, has a decent stereo, airbags, is reasonably economical (about 45 mpg in mixed motoring) and gets one from A to B without fuss and, via the scrappage scheme, it cost £4800. It's also the 4th slowest-depreciating car in Britain. What more does one need?

Character!

As Mini1 would say - Aygo - Simplz. Can't beat the thrum of that 3 pot. Every now and then I miss our little Aygo........

roverfan1984 3 February 2010

Re: Citroen C-Cactus 'too radical'

BOH wrote:
It's robustly built, roomy, quiet, has a decent stereo, airbags, is reasonably economical (about 45 mpg in mixed motoring) and gets one from A to B without fuss and, via the scrappage scheme, it cost £4800. It's also the 4th slowest-depreciating car in Britain. What more does one need?

Sounds like youve made a good choice. My friend bought a brand new Fox about a year ago & is very happy with it. I hope the motor industry can get back to building back-to-basics cars like the Fox, like the Panda & Aygo/107/C1. They answer your question of "what more does one need" so much better than overcomplicated, over-refined cars like the Prius, which aims to be the most efficient car available & fails miserably in being so space-inefficient it might as well be a hybrid Morris Marina.. Cars like the Fox/Panda/Aygo trio make the Prius look redundant, dated & useless.

The C-Cactus had the potential to be a spiritual successor to the 2CV- space-efficient, brilliantly simple & thoughfully designed, & "what more does one need" as you say. However Ive realised that the C1 fulfils this role admirably. The C-Cactus needs to be a larger C1, a family sized car built along C1 principles. If it is not & it is just a C3/C4 in drag then it is pointless even making it.