Auto Car Reviews: Citroen C-Metisse Concept Overview with Wallpapers

The biennial Paris Motor Show brings out the best in the French automakers, whose displays are understandably massive, and whose concepts battle it out with each other to see who the star of the show really is. Peugeot has gotten the first shot in with its menacing 908 RC sedan, powered by the company’s 750-hp Le Mans V12 diesel.
Today, Peugeot’s corporate sister, Citroën, shows off her Paris concept: the smashing C-Métisse 4-door coupe. The car is drenched with style and has the presence of an exotic with its front gullwing and rear scissor doors. In front, the Citroën badge extends out to the large, styled vertical headlamps, which are themselves flanked by significant intakes. A trapezoidal opening sits in the lower part of the front fascia.
The long, sleek body houses an ultramodern passenger cabin, with seats covered in white leather and many of the car’s key controls housed on the steering wheel. Citroën moved some controls — including the starter button — with the intention of creating an aircraft-like feel. The center console also continues the modern design theme. It is a source of ambient lighting and also houses the screens that let the driver to monitor the car’s hybrid drivetrain.

The Hybride HDi system consists of a 208-horsepower diesel V6 driving the front wheels, and a pair of electric motors — each putting out 20 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque powering the rear. In urban environments, the car can operate in zero-emissions mode, running on the electric motors only at speeds up to 30 km/h. In addition to that, the car switches between 2-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-drive automatically depending on traction conditions.
Citroën says that the hybrid powertrain train helps the car achieve a fuel economy rating of an impressive 36.1 miles per gallon in the combined cycle. No slowpoke either, the C-Métisse also makes the run to 100km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds

Special emphasis was placed on the aerodynamics and flowing design of C-Métisse, these being key Citroën values. The objective was to enhance the vehicle's dynamics, road manners and performance while showing respect for the environment.

Far from being a gratuitous styling exercise, the forms of C-Métisse combine visual appeal with dynamic efficiency. C-Métisse boasts a Cd of 0.30 obtained by its taut, flowing lines, as well as by a series of innovative features such as the enlarged air intakes at the front, the flat underside of the car, the two retractable rear airfoils and the rear fixed-fin spoiler. All these features play an active role in reducing aerodynamic drag and lift, thus pushing the car to the ground and improving roadholding.

Particular efforts were made to reduce vehicle weight in order to achieve both performance and fuel economy.

With its carbon body and carbon trellis supporting the powertrain and front axle, C-Métisse weighs just 1,400 kg, batteries included. A remarkable figure for a vehicle of this size.

The architecture of the diesel hybrid powertrain also contributes to this result. The positioning of the electric motors in the rear wheels and the position of the battery pack in the centre of the vehicle distributes the weight perfectly between front and rear, for improved road behaviour.