Successor to Citroen's 'snail'

Timing is crucial to the arrival of the new Citroen C3, writes motoring editor ALASTAIR SLOANE.

It was a publicist's dream. Italian yacht Prada was to challenge Team New Zealand for the America's Cup. Italians were partying in Auckland. New Zealanders were partying in Rome. What better time for New Zealand businesses with Italian connections to cash in on la dolce vita - the sweet life.

One company that might have been expected to do just that was carmaker Fiat, Italy's industrial standard-bearer.

Timing was crucial two years ago. Fiat was planning to launch the new Punto to New Zealand soon after the final yacht race, if the factory in Turin could tool up in time for right-hand-drive production.

The good-looking small car was on the road in Europe. Why not fly in a left-hand-drive example and let New Zealanders pore over it and continue the romance they were having with Prada and everything Italian?

But Fiat missed the boat. The idea came too late - so did the car. So late that had Fiat flown one in, potential buyers seduced by the example might have grown tired of waiting for the real thing. The pre-launch publicity would have backfired.

The New Zealand office of Citroen is wrestling with timing and pre-launch publicity over the appearance later this year of the C3, the spiritual successor to the legendary 2CV, or tin snail.

Citroen Australia is flying in a left-hand-drive example of the C3 for the Melbourne motor show next month and Citroen New Zealand wants to bring the car here after the show.

But it needs a factory guarantee that there will be no production delays. At first the factory said the right-hand-drive C3 would be available in New Zealand in June. Now it looks likely to be August/September.

"The timing of its arrival is essential for us to hit our targets over the next couple of years," said Citroen New Zealand general manager Warren Horn.

"We need the C3 badly. The reality is there is so much demand for it. But we are confident we can bring the Melbourne show car to New Zealand."

The C3 is vital to Citroen in New Zealand and Australia. The French company has made substantial investments in both countries to try to boost the marque's presence. Citroen New Zealand is working out of new headquarters in Auckland's Greenlane.

The Australians are planning to talk up the C3 with a campaign based on the best of French - lifestyle, culture, flair and elegance - and the appeal of such a vehicle, particularly to women.

Citroen Australian general manager Miles Williams is so confident of the car's success he has already pointed to pricing "starting at under $A18,000 ($21,890)".

"The C3 will double Citroen sales in Australia in its first full year on the market," he said. Citroen Australia sold just over 1000 cars last year.

Citroen would have to sell about 250 C3 models in 12 months to double sales in New Zealand. Last year it sold a total of 260 vehicles.

The C3 is expected to start here at around $23,000. There will be two models, one powered by a 1.4-litre engine, the other by a 1.6-litre. Buyers will have the choice of manual or automatic gearboxes.

Citroen says it set out to give the C3 an original personality - "spacious, friendly and accessible with a bright, pleasant interior enhanced by a large electrically controlled glass sunroof, which extends back over the rear seats."

The C3 is 1670mm wide and 1520mm high, roomy proportions for a vehicle 3850mm long. It is bigger overall than the Renault Clio and Peugeot 206.

The car is expected to set new standards of equipment for the class, including ABS braking, electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, six airbags, and child-safety locks controlled by a button on the dashboard.

Citroen New Zealand is unlikely to use supermodel Claudia Schiffer in its C3 advertising campaign.

Schiffer has been Citroen's billboard in Europe since the mid-1990s, but the cost of using her in a small market like New Zealand is prohibitive.

Her ads for the C3 are expected to be as innovative as earlier campaigns. The Xsara coupe ad of 1998 was based around safety. Schiffer swans down a staircase, shedding her clothes. She completes the striptease when she gets into the Xsara - "so safe you won't need anything else".

Another ad for Citroen addressed environmental protection. It was set in a mountain hotel in winter - except the snow outside was black. Schiffer walks out of the hotel and drives off in the turbo-diesel Xsara, leaving a clean, white trail behind.