If you sold a subcompact minivan called the Nemo Combi, you'd simply have to build a concept car with a tie-in to the five-year-old animated film, Finding Nemo, would you not? The Citroën Nemo Concetto (concetto just means "concept") is all done up to look a clownfish. However, due to the fact that it's a van, it looks more like a flamboyant Geek Squad vehicle than Nemo himself.

This is what happens when you force excessive amounts of cuteness into a class of car that already has that angle covered. Still, the anemones growing out of the dash tug at the heartstrings.



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Look familiar? Both the Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C Crosser are essentially the Mitsubishi Outlander. Each version has a slightly different nose but inside it looks just like the Mitsu, chevron or lion logo on the steering wheel notwithstanding.

My favorite part is how garish and un-European the large subwoofer and Rockford Fosgate logo look when you open the rear tailgate. -- Brian Moody, Road Test Editor

Looking like a cross between BMW's 6 Series and Audi's A5 coupe, the Citroen Airscape wasn't the most French-looking convertible we've ever seen. It was quite elegant nonetheless, with a soft fabric roof that had few of the awkward lines typical of most convertible tops. Citroen even extended the fabric all the way down the A-pillar to emphasize the curve of the structure.

It features SnowMotion traction control, which is almost as good as all-wheel drive according to Citroen. There's also an UrbanHybrid system which makes it sort of like a Prius except that it's not. According to the press kit, the C5 Airscape will also render all other convertibles meaningless should it ever go into production, but then again it was all in French so we could be wrong on that one. -- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line

Here's another reason to love the French. They are the Japanese of Europe. By this we mean only that the car companies of both countries seem to understand what a concept car should be.

Production cars with big wheels, fancy paint and side mirrors that have been replaced by mini cameras are not concepts. But the French, they get it. A concept should surprise and delight and confound. It should be a canvas for  ultimate creative freedom. It should fly, or fold into a suitcase or be edible.

Allow us to present the Citroen C-Cactus which can do none of these things but is oddly cool. Citroen says it's "an ecological car." But that doesn't actually make sense. Whatever, check out the stubby little amoeba. It's button-cute. It rides on 21-inch wheels with ribbed faces. Citroen says that "the dashboard has gone," but it does not mention where. Without it though, the driver faces a steering wheel with hub-mounted controls for basically everything he might want to control and a curved firewall. It would be like driving a bath tub that's equipped with a steering wheel. And the seatbacks, steering wheel rim, door panels and taillight have little cutouts of butterflies and plant stalks. Plus, its name is almost as good as the Daihatsu D-Bone of several years ago.

It would be powered by a diesel hybrid powertrain and many of the body panels would be biodegradable were it to ever make it to production, which it won't.

But if Woody Allen ever produces a remake of Sleeper this is the car he should use. -- Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit Inside Line

I'll admit it, I have odd taste in cars. I've even been accused of not liking cars at all because I'd rather spend the day in a Lexus rather than a WRX STI.

I really love auto shows like Frankfurt because there's so much stuff that we never get to see or drive in the U.S. Peugeot's 407 Coupe is a car I'd love to take home. This one has a 2.8-liter diesel engine that makes about 204 hp. It's front-wheel drive which I'm not thrilled about in a sporty coupe but a six-speed automatic is standard. A gas-burning V6 is available, it makes 211 hp.

Really, this one is the deal breaker for me. It looks different inside and out but still appears to offer an acceptable level of luxury. The Citroen C6 competes (in Europe) with the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. An available gas-burning V6 makes 211 hp and of course there's diesel version. With options like head-up display, premium stereo, leather and electric front and rear seats, the price is more than 57,000 Euros -- that's nearly $80,000 U.S., Now I know why they don't sell them in the States -- still nice to look at though. -- Brian Moody, Road Test Editor

The Citroen C-Cactus concept is going to be right up there as a top contender for the "Most Controversial Design" award at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show—a show in which controversial design is pretty much a given. This is nothing new for Citroen, as being on the far edge of design thinking has long been part of their corporate DNA.

Aside from the styling, the C-Cactus concept offers some real-world (again advanced) thinking in terms of construction and diesel hybrid drivetrain.

Gotta admit Citroen—and the French in general—really get you thinking about vehicular design, as you've likely never thought about it before.

Full story here. More images and Inside Line report after the jump.

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First official pictures and info on the Citroen C5 Airscape concept have been made public. The car is powered by a 208 hp 2.7L V6 HDI, and has a "Snow Motion" feature, which supposedly(?) is almost as good as AWD. The UrbanHybrid system uses regenerative energy to power the air-conditioning and sound systems. The car will be debut at the Frankfurt auto show next month.

Full story here at Carscoop.

Here's Inside Line's take: Frankfurt Preview: Citroen Airscape Concept

Desiring a truly unusual Citroën 2CV to add to an already eclectic collection, Lane Motor Museum commissioned Dave Burnham Citroën Repair in New York to fabricate a replica of a one-of-a-kind Citroën Cogolin. This vehicle was known in France as the 2CV Bicéphale, or the 2CV with two-heads. It was a reconnaissance vehicle used by the fire department and constructed by joining two 2CV front halves.
 
The vehicle was the idea of Colonel Hourcastagné who was with the Fire and Rescue service in Cogolin, France. The Fire and Rescue service used a Citroën 15-6 as a part of their fleet. One night while on patrol, Colonel Hourcastagné found the narrow mountain road blocked. Unable to turn the car around, he was forced to reverse down the road for several miles aided only by a fireman with a small flashlight.  This incident gave him the idea for the need of a robust vehicle that could be driven forwards or backwards with the same ease.  Thus the creation of the “two-headed 2CV” came to be.
 
Two 2CVs were bought that were equipped with semi-automatic clutches. The two front sections were welded together – but the two parts functioned independently as each had its own engine. Power can be applied to all four wheels, and both sides can be steered. During off-road driving, or when traversing difficult passages, the vehicle can use the advantage of two engines. Even though the engines are not connected, one can pull the car in first gear while the other pushes in reverse.
 
The Citroën Cogolin first went into service in the late 1950s and remained in service for 20 years. The vehicle was given the numerical designation “60” and carried the fire department’s radio.  The number was painted on the hood so that the vehicle could be easily recognizable and contacted from the air by helicopter.
 
The 1952 Citroën Cogolin replica joins other unusual Citroën 2CV’s to include: a 1962 Citroën 2CV 4x4 Sahara, a 1977 Citroen 2CV (amphibious), and a 1978 Citroën 2CV (4x4 Voisin).
 
More on the Lane Motor Museum, which located minutes from downtown Nashville, can be found here.

Hey, VW did it with their New Beetle; same with the Mini. ...And Fiat is showing a neo-500. So why not Citroen too?

What we see here is really cool. If the actual car looks anything like this, it will sell like flowers on Mother's Day. Now if only the Chinese automaker Nanjing Automobile, who owns MG, would come up with a latter-day TC...

Full story here at AutoExpress.

Here's Inside Line's take: Good Old 2CV Citroen May Be About To Reappear

The Lane Museum in Nashville, TN is putting on an exhibit on the history of the Citroen Deux Chevaux, the car that put France on motorized wheels. Here's some info from their press release:

The Museum will showcase France’s most popular car during the featured Hold Your Horses: The History of the Deux Chevaux (Two Horsepower - Citroën 2CV Exhibit). The exhibit will showcase ten 2CV vehicles with various body styles. They are similar in that underneath them all is a production Citroën 2CV chassis. Regular admission rates will apply to view the featured exhibit.
 
Citroën has been a large European car manufacturer since the early 1900s. In 1949, they started producing the 2CV. The 2CV was a small-engine, medium sized car designed to provide realistically priced transportation to rural Frenchmen who had little interest or knowledge of motor cars. The engines were air-cooled and the cars were designed to be robust and operate under the most adverse conditions with a minimum of maintenance.
 
The vehicle suspension was fully independent, interconnected front to rear, and supremely comfortable. Body panels were easily detachable for low cost repairs. Road holding was excellent even by today’s standards, and the car offered delights of high-speed motoring at relatively low speeds.
 
While the 2CV was designed to offer minimal-cost rural transportation, critics claimed it would be a commercial failure. But owners were overwhelmed at the car’s qualities – if offered a comfortable ride, it was spacious, and it was economical. The 2CV continued in production until 1990 with almost 7 million cars produced.
 
Lane Motor Museum will showcase these vehicles during the Citroën 2CV exhibit:
 
1954 Citroën 2CV (ripple bonnet)
1962 Citroën 2CV 4x4 Sahara
1975 Citroën 2CV (Hoffmann Cabriolet)
1964 Citroen Bijou
1968 Citroën Mehari 4x4
1969 Citroën Ami 6
1971 Citroën 2CV Truckette
1978 Citroën Dyane 6
1981 Citroën 2CV (Yacco replica)
2002 Burton
 
About Lane Motor Museum
Lane Motor Museum showcases approximately 150 unique cars and motorcycles from around the world. Cars on display represent countries from Asia, Europe, and North and South America, and date from 1924 to 2003. Highlights of the Museum include the largest Czechoslovakian vehicle collection outside Europe, microcars, amphibious vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, competition cars, motorcycles, military vehicles, and prototypes. The Museum also offers a display of automotive art, a special play area for children, and a gift shop.
 
Lane Motor Museum is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed: Tuesday & Wednesday; Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day & New Year’s Day. Regular admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors (55+), and free for children 17 and under. Group rates are available. Lane Motor Museum is located at 702 Murfreesboro Pike just minutes from Downtown Nashville. For more information about the Museum, call (615) 742-7445 or visit the website here.