Long, long distance runner
Long… very long… extremely long and very big. We’re talking about a car, of course, in this case about the Citroen Metropolis. The French have brought to what could be the future luxury flagship of the Citroen marque, showing it for the first time outside China. It impresses mightily. Its mighty length is 5.3 metres and it is 2 metres wide. Given that it is only 1.4 metres high and has wonderful lines flowing back from a very long bonnet the bulk of the automobile is less striking than its superlative elegance. After having experienced a good few flops in the premium segment it is almost surprising that the car maker is making another effort at this high end of the product range.
What the Chinese want
The concept vehicle was developed by an international designer team based since 2008 in Shanghai. It was at the Expo in that city in 2010 that the Metropolis was first presented. With its massive dimensions and its emphasis on luxury and comfort the new super-Citroen was precisely aimed at the Chinese market. But we suspect that Monsieur Sarkozy would find the noble auto – which is, it must be noted, 8 centimetres longer than a stretched Mercedes S-Class – very much to his taste.
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- Whether this top of the range Citroen will ever see series production is at this time not know. But it would certainly be a breath of fresh air for the marque, and hopefully not just in China.
The East is Green
There is nothing that politicians welcome more readily than the chance to boast that the products of their nation are exemplary in terms of environmental responsibility. In the case of the Citroen Metropolis there is the opportunity for Monsieur le Président to point out that this is conceived as a plug-in hybrid. The configuration involves a two-litre petrol engine with 272 horsepower and 375 Newton metres of torque allied with an electric motor with 55 horsepower on average but able to deliver up to 95 horsepower when pushed. With this Overboost function the total power output reaches 460 horsepower and 430 Newton metres of torque. However in order to achieve the targeted fuel consumption of just 2.6 litres per hundred driven the seven-speed double-clutching transmission must be used sagaciously. Other technical highlights of the Metropolis: All-wheel-drive available on demand and – how could it be otherwise for a Citroen – a Hydractive suspension. Whether this top of the range Citroen will ever see series production is at this time not know. But it would certainly be a breath of fresh air for the marque, and hopefully not just in China.
