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back to article Citroën sparks electric C-Cactus production plan

Yes, it looks like a Mini, but Citroën's concept hybrid, the C-Cactus - named, presumably, because it's less thirsty than other cars - looks set to go into production, the Gallic automaker as revealed. And it may arrive as a true electric vehicle. Citroën said it has begun looking at how feasible such a move might be, with the …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Eh?

    I won't bother getting involved in all the debate over whether cars like this are actually environmentally friendly or just a clever marketing ploy. That one will run forever.

    My comment centres on the first phrase of the first sentence: "Yes, it looks like a Mini"

    There are several possibilities:

    a) The scribe has never seen a Mini.

    b) The scribe's eyesight is so poor that they should not be allowed within reach of a steering wheel.

    or

    c) The terms of reference of that comment are somewhat vague, being only that is has four wheelsand some windows.

    Anyway, such a ridiculous opening statement throws into doubt anything else in the article.

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  2. Paul Murphy
    Paris Hilton

    Yes but it's not plug-in

    They have stopped short of making it a plug-in as well, which is really disappointing.

    My ideal would be a small diesel engine used to charge the battery, capable of being plugged in, electric engines in each wheel and as long as it's roomy enough to be used as an estate (say the size of the berlingo) as well then I reckon it could be a real winner.

    It would be REALLY nice if it was 4-wheel drive and had 4-wheel steering with hydraulic suspension to take a variety of loads as well.

    Why can't I have the car I want???

    PH 'cos I probably can't have her as well.

    ttfn

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  3. mittfh
    Alert

    Hmmm...

    No dash, no steering wheel sticks - how the hell are you supposed to control this thing?

    The whole point of sticks in most "normal" cars is so you can control your wipers / lights etc. without taking your hands off the wheel. And having the dash behind and slightly above the wheel minimises the amount of eye movement needed to read the display.

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  4. caffeine addict

    Ah the french...

    you can always rely on our Gallic friends to create bonkers cars. But how does the door consist of only 2 parts? Or are they not counting all the stuff like door handles, glass and switchgear?

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  5. Richard Porter
    Thumb Down

    It looks absolutely hideous!

    But you haven't said whether it's diesel-electric in the sense that it has a diesel motor-generator set powering electric traction motors (like a railway locomotive but able to take power from or recharge the batteries) or the much more complicated arrangement like the Prius where both engine and motor can drive the wheels via a mechanical transmission system.

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  6. this
    Thumb Down

    OMG a square steering wheel

    ...doomed. (see history of cars with square steering wheel)

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  7. Steve
    Flame

    It looks like a Mini?

    How exactly? Because it's small and has 4 wheels?

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  8. TeeCee Gold badge
    Joke

    Styling.

    Judging from the appearance of the front end, I'd say that Bolivian Marching Powder is one of the alternative sources of motive power they'll be offering here.

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Strange(ly attractive)

    I'm currently on the hunt for a highly economic vehicle (I'm talking 55+mpg) to take the place of my Peugeot 206. For fun I have a GSXR 600, the car is purely for lugging servers site to site or if it's icy out. This is very attractive, although very ugly at the same time... :)

    anyway, back to the reason for my post... Eee pc's are power effective, and this car's abbreviation is Ccc?

    Conincidence?

    Mine's the one with Dainese and a back protector.

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Actually ...

    ... when I first saw it I thought 'bloody hell, it's a Mini that has been hit with an ugly stick'. Not an old-style Mini, you understand, but one of the new 'restyled' BMW abominations (the whirring sound is Alec Issigonis spinning in his grave)

    Unfortunately, The C-c-c-c-c-Cactus is likely to suffer from the same problems as the Renault-with-the-pee-coloured-windows - most notably the fact that it's a French car with a lot of electrical gubbins in it. As any Renault owner will likely tell you, our Gallic cousins seem to have dropped the football where auto electrics are concerned, and don't get me started on the styling (can we pur-leeze drop the jellybean/pregnant rollerskate inspired designs. Please?)

    Also, very good point made w.r.t. square steering wheels - they didn't call a certain square-steering wheel'd British Leyland rot-box the All-agro for nothing :-)

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  11. Magani
    Coat

    Got the name right

    Here in the Greater Antipodes, the word 'Cactus' equates to dead / stuffed / buggered / etc. From the look of the front of this vehicle, the Froggies have obviously been trawling through Oz dictionaries and have got the name spot on!

    Mine's the one with the road kill Skippy in the pocket.

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  12. Steve Anderson
    Happy

    Whilst everyone is quick to insult French cars...

    ... please remember that the French do, at least, have a motor industry. (Don't bother pointing out the British motor industry's few remaining companies - I said "industry", not "7 men in an oversized shed building four cars a year" - or the handful of foreign companies using British labour.)

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  13. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Re: Whilst everyone is quick to insult French cars...

    "... please remember that the French do, at least, have a motor industry."

    Very true - only the French could come up with something like, say, the Mk.II Megane, but with the best will in the world, the electrics in French cars are usually lousy, especially if said electrics are by Magneti-Marelli (experience talking here!)

    OTOH, if you drive, or have driven, a French car then you'll understand why cars are often referred to as 'she' - expensive, temperamental and frequently high maintainence :-)

    (disclaimer: I own a Clio, so I'm allowed to insult French cars - it's part and parcel of being a Renault owner ;-) )

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