2008 CITROEN C3 Picasso 1.4L VTi 5MT (95 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Citroën introduced the MPV version of the C3 at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, trying to get the most out of its small-sized vehicle platform.

With the world financial crisis starting to unfold and affect the automotive industry, Citroën was desperate to survive in a falling down to pieces market. The market was shrinking, and automakers had two choices: either launch new vehicles with less expensive investments or hold on to their old models. Citroen took the middle road by launching a new car based on an existing platform.

Citroën’s design department tried to create a vehicle that could fit a family and enough luggage in a small-sized car. For that, it needed to design a short front overhang, a tall greenhouse, and a flat rear end. For that, it made the C3 Picasso with rounded shapes that make the vehicle looks bigger. At the front, the headlights sported eyebrows-like blinkers placed on the upper side of the headlights. In addition, those were placed higher for better protection against shopping cart hits or tight parking spots. At the back, the C3 Picasso sported high-mounted taillights extended from the D-pillars to the wide tailgate.

Inside, the carmaker installed plenty of storage areas in the dashboard, under the front seats, overhead compartments, and, of course, on the door cards. To lower the manufacturing costs for both left-hand drive and right-hand drive versions, Citroen placed the instrument panel atop the dashboard in the middle section. The automaker created enough legroom for everyone, thanks to the high-mounted seats.

Under the hood, the French carmaker installed a wide engine range, both gasoline and turbo-diesel, fitted with either manual or automatic transmissions.