Monday, June 29, 2009

New Citroën C3 – Visiodrive : Beautiful, young, intelligent

New Citroen C3

PARIS :June 29, 2009 - Coming out in November 2009, the new Citroën C3 has a strong ambition: to replace a bestseller that has sold more than 2 million units. “This is a major renewal for the Marque and gives us the wherewithal to achieve our target of increasing market share even more, among both individual and corporate customers,” says Frédéric Banzet, Managing Director of Citroën.


The winning formula: take the best of the C3 and make it even better. The new C3 is packed with seductive features: tauter styling, high-class trim, intelligent architecture creating exceptional interior space in what is still one of the most compact vehicles on the market, and superior on-board comfort and road handling, both in the city and on the open road. With the most advanced features in the segment, the new Citroën C3 will be ideal as the
main family car or core fleet vehicle.

But that’s not all. The Zenith windscreen makes the new C3 unique. As well as drenching the cabin in light and expanding visibility, this windscreen introduces passengers of our Visiodrive to a new driving experience. “With the new C3, Citroën is opening up a new automobile universe. A universe where reason and responsibility leave room for new driving pleasure. And new sensations,” says Vincent Besson, Products and Markets, Citroën.

These quality features are confirmed in the design and manufacturing of the new Citroën C3. Made in France, on the industrial sites of Aulnay and Poissy, the new vehicle meets high quality standards, both new and over time. To guarantee optimum reliability, and iron out the last imperfections, it will be put through more than 2 millionkilometres of on-road testing before the market release.

A unique, alluring personality

The new C3 is asserting its personality. The recognisable protective roundness of its predecessor is given a sportier edge with tauter, smoother lines. Exciting with a gentle touch: the essence of seduction. The styling and refinement of the new C3 are seductive. The materials are high class, such as the thermo-coated dash, highlighted by a cross strip in satin grey or gloss brushed aluminium, and chrome detailing. The new C3 takes trim level and quality to a new dimension. This is illustrated perfectly by care with gap and flush, attention to every detail and robust design.

Intelligent architecture

T he new C3 is one of the most compact vehicles in its segment. With a length of 3.94 m, a width of 1.71 m and a 10.2 m turning circle, it is perfect for the city. A compact exterior, without compromising on interior space. The new C3 has the roominess it needs to assert its new status as the main family car or core fleet vehicle. This can been seen in the generous 300 litres of optimised boot capacity, numerous storage spaces (console, glovebox, central armrest…), medium-height seats facilitatingaccess and visibility, and optimised interior space offering more knee room. The new Citroën C3 is more spacious, but still compact. It’s a “real” car, with upper-segment features.

A new driving experience

The new experience goes further and gets better with the Zenith windscreen, a technological feat. This exceptionally long windscreen expands the front occupants’ field of vision by 80° upwards. Combined with slimmer pillars, the Zenith gives all occupants a sense of unlimited, high-definition vision. Total immersion. As a world first, the progressive glass smoothes the transition from the strong sun protection above the front passengers to the standard clear glass for looking forwards. The saloon with the biggest windscreen and the smallest roof on the market deliversmo re new driving sensations! The new C3 offers more visibility and light, for more safety and driving pleasure. S peaking of pleasure, our Visiodrive naturally benefits from the Marque’s know-how in comfort. Everyone will beextremely comfortable on board the new Citroën C3 for all the senses: not just low noise and low vibration, but fragrant and nice to look at, with the many windows and air freshener. A relaxing atmosphere. A great car to drive and be driven in.

The new C3 is a “connected” car. In addition to the RD4 mp3 audio system, the USB Box (USB slot + jack, full iPod compatibility, Bluetooth® hands-free kit) and MyWay navigation, the new Hifi System® surrounds passengers with sound, as if they were in a concert hall. The system offers not only exceptional sound quality, but comes with a competitive price tag.

Impressive and reasonable dynamic features

The new Citroën C3 will make others green with envy… with more dynamic road handling, it is as comfortable on the open road as in the city, and has managed to keep a slim figure by not putting on any weight! An exceptional achievement given the convincing increase in comfort and interior space. This weight control, combined withoptimised aerodynamics (a Cx of 0.30), the new C3 manages its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions intelligently. Right from launch, it will come in a version emitting 99 g/km de CO2, with the HDi 90 DPFS engine.

That expertise in managing fuel consumption will reach a new stage with the arrival of new powerplants in 2011, incorporating second-generation Stop & Start. Coupled with five- and six-speed electronic gearboxes, they will equip diesel versions emitting only 95 and 90 g/km de CO2. In short, the new generation of three-cylinder engines will enable versions emitting less than 100 g/km de CO2.

Images : New Citroen C3






[Source : CITROEN]

2009 DTM : Jamie Green wins thrilling DTM race at Norisring

2009 DTM Norisring Winner : Jamie Green - Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes

NUREMBERG, Germany : June 28, 2009 - British driver Jamie Green wins an absolutely thrilling DTM race at the Norisring for Mercedes-Benz and thus continues the winning streak of the brand from Stuttgart in the only race on a street circuit on the DTM calendar. Since 2003, a Mercedes-Benz driver has been on the top step of the podium every year. For Green, it was the fifth victory of his DTM career and the second in a row at this circuit. “I just can’t find words to express my joy. Timo has closed the gap very well and I wasn’t sure as to what strategy I should take. I was in a new car for four years, and now, with a year-old car, it all went so well. Being back here again and facing all the critics was nice”, the 27-year old said. His fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Bruno Spengler (CDN) completed the 1-2 for Mercedes-Benz by finishing second. Swede Mattias Ekström finished third, which made him the best-placed Audi driver. “The race was good and fair, although I am sorry that Audi hasn’t won. I am looking forward to the upcoming races”, the DTM champion of 2004 and 2007 said.


2009 DTM Norisring Winner : Jamie Green - Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes

What a great finale for the DTM weekend at the Norisring, that attracted a total crowd of 132,000 spectators. On the final four laps of the 80 laps’ race, the fans saw three different race leaders. Driving his Audi A4 DTM, defending champion Timo Scheider was ahead of Spengler and Green until four laps before the end. At times, the trio were less than 0.6 seconds apart. On the penultimate lap, Green takes the lead from Scheidetr after a door-to-door battle. Spengler and even Mattias Ekström, who had been running in fourth place up to that point, also overtake Scheider, claiming second and third place with less than four kilometers remaining. Scheider still scores five points in the battle for the championship by finishing fourth and thus remains on top in the points’ standings.

There was a reason to celebrate for Mercedes-Benz driver Ralf Schumacher, too. The former F1 driver scored his best result in a DTM race so far in sixth place. As the chequered flag was out, he was only 0.31 seconds down on his fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Gary Paffett, the winner of the second season round at the EuroSpeedway. Dane Tom Kristensen (Audi), who had won the season opener of this year’s DTM, ended up eighth behind Scottish driver Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz).

British lady racer Katherine Legge was unhappy after the race. Having started from fifth place for the third round of the season, the 28-year old had a rather poor start and finished only twelfth after 184 kilometers. The second lady in the field, Susie Stoddart (GBR/Mercedes-Benz), ended up tenth.

In the points’ standings, Scheider remains in the lead with 17 points from Spengler (16) and Paffett (14). The fourth DTM round of the season will be held at Zandvoort in The Netherlands from July 17th till 19th.

Mercedes-Benz motorsport director Norbert Haug : “That was an incredibly exciting race and already our seventh victory at the Norisring. I thought that we would be able to secure the points earlier on, but neither during the first nor during the second pit stops, we were able to catch up. Timo has taken a lot of risk with his line and he will be disappointed now, but that is normal. Jamie is a real specialist at this track. This was one of the best touring car races we have ever seen, and we have had many good races.”

Audi-Motorsportchef Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich : “We were all very close together with our performance and that surely was one of the most thrilling races of the last few years. Timo has always made the best out of every situation. And he looked all set for victory until the very end. Too bad that he couldn’t make it onto the podium eventually. But now we have third place with Mattias and fourth with Timo, that is what races are like. Today, one can see what can be achieved with year old cars. And one can also see, that our ladies aren’t there just to make up numbers, they are true and genuine racers. In spite of her poor start, Katherine still set the fastest race lap. That really is good promotion for the DTM.”

2009 DTM Round 3 : Norisring, Nuremberg Race Result



























































































Pos

No

Team-Driver

Machine-Yr

Time

GAP

1.

7Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes - Jamie Green (GBR)Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Klasse1:08:39.0

0.0

2.

9Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG - Bruno Spengler (CAN) Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Klasse1:08:40.6

01.115

3.

5Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline - Mattias Ekström (SWE)Red Bull Audi A4 DTM1:08:40.9

14.228

4.

1Audi Sport Team Abt - Timo Scheider (GER) GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM1:08:41.8

15.134

5.

10Salzgitter AMG Mercedes - Gary Paffett (GBR)Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Klasse1:08:42.2

15.755

6.

4Trilux AMG Mercedes - Ralf Schumacher (GER)Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Klasse1:08:42.5

16.326

7.

3AMG Mercedes - Paul Di Resta (GBR)AMG Mercedes C-Klasse1:08:43.0

31.172

8.

2Audi Sport Team Abt - Tom Kristensen (DEN)100 Jahre Audi - A4 DTM1:08:48.5

41.546

9.

11Audi Sport Team Rosberg - Mike Rockenfeller (GER) S line Audi A4 DTM1:08:49.0

49.968

10.

8TV Spielfim AMG Mercedes - Susie Stoddart (GBR)TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Klasse1:08:53.6

50.652





































































































Driver's Championship after 3 rounds
Pos.
Driver - Nationality
R1
R2
R3

Total

1
Timo Scheider / GER
8
4
5
17
2
Bruno Spengler / CAN

8
8
16
3
Gary Paffett / GBR

10
4
14
4
Jamie Green / GBR
1
3
10
14
5
Mattias Ekström / SWE
2
6
6
14
6
Tom Kristensen / DEN
10

1
11
7
Paul Di Resta / GBR
4
5
2
11
8
Oliver Jarvis / GBR
6


6
9
Markus Winkelhock / GER
5


5
10
Maro Engel / GER
3
1

4
11
Ralf Schumacher / GER


3
3
12
Mike Rockenfeller / GER

2

2







































































Team Championship after 3 rounds
Pos.
Team
R1
R2
R3

Total

1
Salzgitter / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG

18
12
30
2
Audi Sport Team Abt
18
4
6
28
3
TV Spielfim / Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes
1
3
10
14
4
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline
2
6
6
14
5
Trilux AMG Mercedes
4
5
5
14
6
Audi Sport Team Rosberg
5
2

7
7
Audi Sport Team Phoenix
6


6
8
GQ / stern AMG Mercedes
3
1

4


Images : 2009 DTM : Round 3 Norisring, Nuremberg Hi-light images














[Source : DTM Official, AUDI, DAIMLER]

Sunday, June 28, 2009

2009 WRC : Mikko Hirvonen wins Rally Poland!

Mikko Hirvonen with Co-Driver Jarmo Lehtinen - Ford Focus WRC - BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team

MIKOLAJKI, Poland : June 28, 2009 - BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Mikko Hirvonen has won his second consecutive WRC event by claiming victory on the brand new Rally Poland, round eight of the World Rally Championship.


The momentous win, the ninth of his career, promoted Hirvonen, 28, into the lead of the drivers' championship standings with a one point lead over Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb; the man who has won the title for the last five years.

In blazing sunshine, and in front of thousands of spectators, Hirvonen completed the rally closing Super Special without a hitch and drove his Ford Focus onto the finish podium with a winning margin of 1min 10.3sec.

But just as Hirvonen was sealing victory on the final 2.5km head-to-head stage, his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala - on course to complete a one-two victory for Ford - was throwing it all away.

In an almost unbelievable twist of fate, Latvala clipped a sand barrel on the apex of a corner and broke the left-hand steering arm of his Ford Focus. At the next corner his car speared into a metal barrier - wrecking its suspension and getting stuck fast. After a frenzied effort to get the car free again a distraught Latvala and his co-driver Miikka Anttila eventually resorted to pushing it. Retirement came shortly after.

The drama handed second place to Citroen Total team driver Dani Sordo who, despite a determined attack through Saturday morning's stages, had looked all but certain of third place today. In the event, that place went to Henning Solberg of the Stobart VK M-Sport team.

Hirvonen held the lead of the rally since Friday's second stage when he snatched the position from Loeb. However, any chance of an ongoing battle with his rival evaporated on the very next stage when the Frenchman retired after hitting a tree stump.

Watching from the finish line as Latvala's drama played out in front of him, Hirvonen was totally stunned. "I can't believe what I'm seeing," he said.

Later, Hirvonen gave a fuller account of his feelings. "For me it was a fantastic rally from start to finish," he said. "When Sebastien made his mistake on Friday, I thought it would be a good. Sordo pushed us harder than we expected on Saturday but on these roads I really enjoyed the fight. Okay, despite Jari's mistake we're still in the lead of the drivers' championship by one point, and this is the first time I've ever won two WRC rallies in a row, so that feels good. Now I want to make it three in a row on my home rally in Finland."

"I still don't really know what to say about Jari-Matti," he added. "It's definitely something you wouldn't expect to happen. It came at a really, really bad time. There was no pressure on him but mistakes do happen."

Dani Sordo was happy with his unexpected last minute promotion. "Third place was not bad, now second is better but I'm really disappointed for Jari-Matti," he said. "The rally has been a good for me. Yesterday I tried to pressure the guys ahead but on the second passes my speed wasn't there. I will try and work on the situation before Finland. I have a test planned before the rally and I will try something different in the car to give me more confidence."

Latvala's last stage catastrophe and eight points for Sordo was a huge disappointment for Ford in the manufacturers' contest. A maximum 18 points would have pulled the squad to within six points of Citroen. Instead Citroen head to Finland 17 points ahead.

After finding his best form on the rally's final day, Henning Solberg was delighted to bring his Ford home in a podium place. "Wow, what an end to the rally," he said. "I've been struggling with the feeling but today it came much better. Now I'm really looking forward to Finland; that will be my rally. I will have the right pace on Friday there."

Petter Solberg was fourth in his 2006 specification Xsara and felt his place relative to the other drivers' cars was about right. "I have to be realistic; this is the best result I could get," he said. "Earlier in the event Ogier and Henning should have been beating me, so to keep up with them in this old girl isn't bad. Maybe we would have done better without the oil on the screen today, I don't know."

Briton Matthew Wilson brought his Stobart Team Ford Focus home in fifth. "It's been tough but enjoyable; the stages here are awesome," he said. "Getting consistency in the pace notes is tough, but it’s been really good preparation for Finland and it will be a help to have had three days driving at these speeds. We took it steadier today but this afternoon we had to push because Holowczyc was getting a bit too close."

Sure enough, the Stobart team's Polish guest driver Krzysztof Holowczyc finished sixth to become the first Pole to score points in the World Rally Championship. A three-time winner of Rally Poland, most recently in 2005, Holowczyc said he had enjoyed himself at the wheel of his Ford Focus.

"I was last in a World Rally Car five years ago and it's amazing how they’ve changed!" he said. "It’s been a fantastic rally and this is my best WRC finish ever - which was a big surprise at the end. I have to thank the fans, I have never seen so many people and flags and their energy and the atmosphere has really helped me along."

After his Citroen-assisted salvage job today Sebastien Loeb brought his C4 to the finish in seventh to collect two drivers' points and four for Citroen in the manufacturers' championship. "It's better than nothing," he shrugged. "Even one point could be very important so I'm happy to take them. This has been a rally to forget for me. I hope it will be much better next time."

Citroen Junior Team driver Conrad Rautenbach finished eighth to take the last drivers' championship point.

2009 WRC Round 8 : Rally Poland Result











































































































































































Pos

No

Driver

Time

Diff Next

Diff 1st

1.

3

Mikko HIRVONEN

3:07:27.5

0.0

0.0

2.

2

Dani SORDO

3:08:37.8

+1:10.3

+1:10.3

3.

6

Henning SOLBERG

3:09:33.2

+55.4

+2:05.7

4.

11

Petter SOLBERG

3:09:51.8

+18.6

+2:24.3

5.

5

Matthew WILSON

3:11:45.0

+1:53.2

+4:17.5

6.

15

Krzysztof HOLOWCZYC

3:12:01.4

+16.4

+4:33.9

7.

1

Sebastien LOEB

3:26:42.6

+14:41.2

+19:15.1

8.

8

Conrad RAUTENBACH

3:26:48.1

+5.5

+19:20.6

9.

7

Evgeny NOVIKOV

3:26:53.7

+5.6

+19:26.2

10.

64

Michal BEBENEK

3:30:36.2

+3:42.5

+23:08.7

11.

37

Kevin ABBRING

3:35:05.2

+4:29.0

+27:37.7

12.

38

Martin PROKOP

3:36:15.4

+1:10.2

+28:47.9

13.

68

Lukasz SZTUKA

3:37:48.5

+1:33.1

+30:21.0

14.

71

Valeriy GORBAN

3:39:50.0

+2:01.5

+32:22.5

15.

70

Vytautas SVEDAS

3:40:34.3

+44.3

+33:06.8

16.

35

Yoann BONATO

3:40:39.7

+5.4

+33:12.2

17.

36

Hans WEIJS

3:45:17.2

+4:37.5

+37:49.7

18.

33

Simone BERTOLOTTI

3:51:50.3

+6:33.1

+44:22.8

19.

88

Mark WALLENWEIN

3:54:32.4

+2:42.1

+47:04.9

20.

59

Radoslaw TYPA

3:56:32.3

+1:59.9

+49:04.8



Drivers' championship standings after 7 rounds
























































































































































































































































PosDriverR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8Point
1.

Finland M. HIRVONEN

6

8

8

8

R

8

10

10

58

2.

France S. LOEB

10

10

10

10

10

5

R

2

57

3.

Spain D. SORDO

8

4

5

6

8

0

0

8

39

4.

Norway H. SOLBERG

5

5

0

4

6

1

0

6

27

5.

Finland J-M LATVALA

0

6

0

R

3

10

6

R

25

6.

Norway P. SOLBERG

-

3

6

5

R

6

R

5

25

7.

Great Britain M. WILSON

2

2

4

R

4

3

0

4

19

8.

Argentina F. VILLAGRA

-

-

2

2

5

R

5

-

14

9.

France S. OGIER

3

0

R

0

2

R

8

R

13

10.

Zimbabwe C. RAUTENBACH

0

R

3

R

R

0

4

1

8

11.

Norway M. OSTBERG

-

0

-

3

-

2

2

R

7

12.

UAE K. AL-QASSIMI

1

-

1

1

-

0

3

-

6

13.

Russia E. NOVIKOV

-

0

R

R

-

4

0

0

4

14.

Australia C. ATKINSON

4

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

4

15.

Poland K. HOLOWCZYC

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

3

3

16.

Estonia U. AAVA

0

1

-

-

-

-

-


1

17.

Qatar N. AL-ATTIYAH

-

0

0

0

1

0

0


1

18.

Greece L. ATHANASSOULAS

-

-

-

-



1


1



Manufacturers' championship standings after 8 rounds
















































































PosTeamR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8Point
1.

citroen CITROEN TOTAL WORLD RALLY TEAM

18

14

16

16

18

7

4

12

106

2.

ford BP FORD ABU DHABI WORLD RALLY TEAM

8

14

10

8

3

18

18

10

89

3.

ford STOBART VK M-SPORT FORD RALLY TEAM

8

8

6

5

10

7

5

11

60

4.

citroen CITROEN JUNIOR RALLY TEAM

5

2

4

0

2

5

6

5

29

5.

ford MUNCHI'S FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM

-

-

3

4

5

0

6

-

18



Images : 2009 WRC Rally Poland Hi-light











[Source : WRC, FORD, CITROEN]