The Citroen C3, voted the most beautiful small car in the world, is now available in Australia, with deliveries starting this week (2 December 2002) after strong demand for the new small Citroen forced the importer to start selling the awarding-winning car at the Sydney International Motor back in October.

"We expected demand for the C3 to be strong following its success in Europe, even though the C3 represents an entry into a market that has not seen official Citroen imports before," says Miles Williams, General Manager of Citroen in Australia. "But even out best hopes did not expect us to see the first three shipments sold out before the first car was delivered. However, with three shipments arriving in December alone, we expect to have available stock of all versions by the end of the month."

The Citroen C3's success has been built on the design foundations that have made Citroen a byword for both style and technology. Citroen have produced a car that may be a small car in market position and road foot print, but which, thanks to its "tall car" and space utilisation, offers a big car interior that is light, large and airy with a driving position that produces an eyeline almost at the same height as a small 4WD. The load space, for example, ranges from a spacious 305 litres with the rear seats in place, while with the rear seats folded, the space expands to a massive 1.3 Cubic metres. This is made possible by a new advanced rear suspension design that is both compact and, as would be expected of a Citroën, which offers superlative ride quality.

At the same time Citroen's stylists, from the company that has produced such futuristic and timeless classics as the Traction Avant, the Citroen DS, the BX and the Citroen C5, have produced a small car that does not look like all the other two-box shapes that dominate the small car class.

The Citroen C3 is instantly recognisable, with its strong curves and shape contributing a style that is real standout, effortlessly stylish from every angle and a shape that is destined to become another classic Citroen. It is little wonder, therefore that it has been voted the World's Most Beautiful Small Car by a team of the world's leading designers, artists, critics and journalists, not to mention a raft of car of the year awards.

The inside is no less stylish than the exterior, with a design that is welcoming and easy to use, as well as dynamically interesting to live with on a day to day basis.

The initial Citroën C3 range for Australia opens at $19,990 for the Citroën C3 SX manual. Standard equipment includes remote central locking, front electric windows, variable assistance electric power steering, air-conditioning and cloth upholstery.

The Citroën C3 Exclusive manual at $20,990 adds ABS anti-lock brakes, front fog lights, front centre armrests and velour upholstery, while the automatic Citroën C3 Exclusive at $22,990 not only gains a sophisticated electronic automatic gear box, it also gains climate control air conditioning, rain sensing windscreen wipers, exterior temperature gauge and "Follow me home" headlights.

All versions of the Citroen C3 have one-touch electric front windows, electric power steering that has ultra-light operating for easy parking, Hi-Fi quality inbuilt audio system with CD player and six speakers, power mirrors, digital instrumentation with a dashboard mounted message screen, remote control central locking, chilled glove box, split folding rear seat, remote electric children's door locks and height adjustable headlights.

"Our plan for 2002 was to use the Citroën C3 to double Citroën sales in Australia," says Miles Williams. "However intense demand for the C3 - it is now being built in three Citroën factories, not the planned one factory - saw our launch delayed. But, nevertheless, demand for the existing Citroën range has enabled us to almost reach our 2002 target of doubling our sales. So, with the Citroën C3 in full supply in 2003, as well as supply catching up with demand for models such as the Citroën C5 and the arrival of new Citroën Berlingo, we expect 2003 to be a special year for Citroën in Australia."

With the arrival of the Citroën C3, the Australian Citroën range now consists of three versions of the Citroën C3; the Citroën Xsara five door hatch in 1.6 and 2.0 litre forms; the Citroën Xsara Coupe VTR and VTS, the Citroën C5 sedan in 2.0 litre petrol, 2.0 litre HDi direct injection, common rail diesel and 3.0 V6 forms; the Citroën C5 Estate in the 2.0 litre variant and the Citroën Berlingo light commercial van.

Citroën now has 20 dealers throughout Australia and it is planned to grow the dealer group to around 25 dealers during 2003.

Citroën is imported into Australia by Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd, Australia's largest independent Australian-owned car importer. During 2002 Ateco more than doubled the number of people dedicated solely to Citroën, as well as adding non-brand specific people to support the growth of Citroën in Australia.

Worldwide, Citroën is enjoying unprecedented demand for its vehicles, with more than 1.2 million Citroëns finding new owners in 2001 and 2002 sales are set to break sales records.

The Citroën C3: The back-story

Citroën unveiled the Citroën C3 at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show, following on from the C3 Lumière concept car presented at the 1998 Paris Motor Show, which illustrated the design options explored by Citroën for its new small car vehicle. With the new C3, Citroën has adopted a new approach to compact vehicle design.

A strikingly roomy vehicle featuring new tall car architecture, the Citroën C3 slots naturally into the range below the Citroën Xsara. The C3 is a further example of the renewed vitality of the Citroën range, illustrated in particular by the recent launches of the Xsara Picasso and the C5.

Designed by Citroën's Styling Centre, the C3 has a strong and original personality conveyed through expressive styling. Its roomy architecture makes it light, spacious, friendly and accessible. The bright, pleasant interior may be optionally enhanced by an exceptionally large electrically controlled glass sunroof, which extends back over the rear seats.

The new architectural design is reflected in the external width (1.67 m) and height (1.52 m), which are exceptional for a vehicle of this length (3.85 m). These proportions make the C3 exceptionally roomy for a vehicle of compact design. A highly practical vehicle, the C3 optimises the interior volume available for both the passengers and their luggage. Offering a surprisingly large capacity for a vehicle in this segment, the boot is exceptionally practical to use.

Compact and easy to handle, with continuously variable electric power steering, the C3 is ideally suited to city living.

Through these characteristics, the C3 makes significant progress in compact vehicle design. It is able to adapt to the requirements of different customers, while also satisfying their concerns in terms of cost and environmental performance.

The Citroën C3 will be initially available in Australia with the 1.4 57 kW engine, with the 1.6i 16V 83 kW engine proposed for launch in 2003. A sequentially controlled auto-active automatic gearbox is available for the 1.4i engine, while the 1.6 unit has a choice of a five speed manual or SensoDrive, the five speed sequential gearbox. Following on from the success of the Citroën C5 HDi in Australia, Citroën is also considering adding the new and highly advanced 1.4 litre 66 kW HDi engine to Australian C3 range.

Fitted with the 1.4 litre 57 kW engine, the Citroën C3 can cover the dash to 100 kmh in 14.2 seconds in manual form and 17.7 seconds with the automatic gearbox option. Top speed is 168 and 162 kmh respectively; while the EU combined fuel consumption figure is 6.2 l/100 km for the manual C3 and 7.1 for the automatic version.

Top-level safety features

The C3 offers particularly surefooted roadholding to match its superb ride quality that is also a factor in reducing fatigue. The braking system features ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution and emergency braking assistance in two of the three Australian versions.

With its wide-range of safety equipment, including four airbags, pretensioning seat belts and child safety locks controlled by an electric button on the dashboard, the C3 is a class-beater in advanced safety features.

In addition, the C3 features multiplex electrics as debuted in the Citroën C5. As a result, it can boast a wide range of "intelligent" comfort and safety equipment. Automatic locking boot, audio system volume linked to vehicle speed, a black panel function and automatic hazard warning lights are just a few of the functions made possible by multiplexing.