Australian Citroën dealers will be chasing demand for the new Citroën C4 when it arrives in showrooms this week (18th April 2005) following its launch at the Melbourne International Motor Show last month.

"Sales of the Citroën C4 started at the Melbourne Motor Show last month and we have been overwhelmed by demand," says Miles Williams, General Manager for Citroën in Australia. "This means that most of the first shiploads of the Citroën C4 have been already sold and we are now placing additional orders for the C4."

"The C4 is not just bringing existing Citroën customers back to our showrooms, we are seeing a repeat of the European experience, where more than 25 per cent of customers are coming to Citroën for the first time. This supports our plans for the C4 to provide Citroën with its next major leap forward in the Australian market, following the growth provided by C2, C3, C5 and Berlingo," says Mr Williams.

Following its launch across Europe last year, the Citroën C4 has collected awards for innovation and safety, as well as being acclaimed as a class-leading addition to the car market.

Citroën has brought together a unique style for both the Citroën C4 Coupe and five door hatch, a level of technology and equipment that sets it above its rivals and a host of safety features that have provided it with not just a five star EuroNCAP crash test rating, but also the highest ever rating for pedestrian safety.

"The Citroën C4 proves that it is possible to combine style with responsibility," says Miles Williams. "So while the Citroën C4 VTS has the performance of a 130 kW engine, it also has a speed limiter that allows the driver to set the car not exceed speed limits, allow the driver to concentrate on the road and not the speedometer. It has a five star crash test rating for occupants in the C4 and a host of technology to look after any pedestrian unlucky to be involved in an accident with the new C4."

"It is this blend of abilities that we believe is proving so attractive to car buyers, as well as, of course, the price, which means that there is no penalty in owning this technology," says Mr Williams. "We have even made the entry-level Coupe and Hatch the same price,, making the Coupe's fresh, dynamic style easy to own."

The Citroen C4 range opens at $25,990 for both the Citroen C4 hatchback and the Citroen C4 Coupé with the 1.6 litre engine and a manual gearbox. The automatic version of the C4 hatchback is priced at $27,990. The range toping hatch is powered by the 2.0 litre engine and has a recommended retail price of $33,990. The top C4 is Coupe VTS, with a wealth of standard equipment and the performance of a 130 kW engine, it is priced at $36,990.

The Citroen C4 is being launched in Australia under the banner "Alive with technology".

"Alive with technology is much more than a slogan for the Citroen C4," explains Miles Williams. "It is a clear statement that that the Citroen C4, like so many Citroens before it, uses innovative technology to provide solutions to real world problems, from how to make the driver's airbag more efficient to keeping the interior of a car smelling fresh and clean. This is not technology for technology's sake, this is technology to save lives, make life more comfortable and to reduce the stress of driving on today's crowed roads."

The technology in the new Citroën C4 includes:

The Citroën C4 has not just got five stars for occupant safety in the EuroNCAP tests; it also has the highest ever score for saving the lives of pedestrians with innovative bonnet and bumper design. Even the windscreen wipers are designed to protect pedestrians.

Citroën have solved the problem of reflections making LCD screens hard to read by using the very daylight that causes the problem to illuminate the LCD instruments in the C4, making them the epitome of clarity.

A traditional steering wheel stops all other cars having the ideal airbag to protect the driver in accident, so the C4 has a fixed hub steering wheel that means not just an ideally shaped airbag, but also the perfect place for switchgear.

Personal safety is growing issue, so the C4 has remote control headlights so owners can see if it's safe to go back to their car and use the lights to illuminate their walk away from the car to safety, as well as auto locks, dead locks and panic buttons.

No need for an ugly air freshener in the C4, every version has a built in perfume diffuser with a choice of three standard perfumes and an option range of a further six "flavours".

Not only is a cruise control standard, it also features a speed limiter to stop accidental speed limit infractions.

Mutliplex electrics mean fault finding and servicing can be done over the internet.

No more loose objects rolling around the boot. The Citroën C4 comes with a useful device that subdivides the boot as required and holds loose objects in place.

Standard on the Coupe VTS and an option on the 2.0 litre hatchback, steerable headlights allow the Citroën C4 to literally look around corners at night.

Set to become an option later in the year, the innovative Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) warns drivers that they suffering from fatigue or destructions that are causing them to wander across freeways.

Both the coupe and the hatchback share the new Citroën look which debuted on the new Citroën C5, a strong new version of the classic Citroën Chevrons, then they both use clearly defined curved lines to produce a distinctive and unique shape, one long, low and sleek with a dynamic tail that truly befits a sports coupe, and the other more arched to provide a light, spacious interior, as well as a no less distinct tail.

Inside the harmonious shapes, curves and lines continue.

The centre mounted instrument panel enables the dashboard to be one continuous curve, while the fixed hub steering wheel means that much of the most commonly used switchgear is moved to the steering wheel, where it is both easier to use and a cleaner design.

Under the bonnet (made from aluminium and shaped to protect pedestrians in the event of an accident) are a range of engines designed to offer optimum performance, economy and low emissions. The range opens with the 1.6 litre 80 kW engine in the hatch and coupe matched to either a manual or four speed electronically controlled automatic gearbox. This provides a top speed of 194 km/h in manual form and 188 km/h with the self-shifting gearbox. The top C4 hatchback is powered by the 2.0 litre 103 kW engine with an automatic gearbox as standard. The range topper is the Citroën C4 Coupe VTS with its 130 kW engine.

Joining the Citroën C4 range later in the year will be the Citroën C4 HDi. Powered by a 1.6 litre turbo diesel direct injection common rail engine, it has 80 kW and an epic 260 Nm of torque. This translates into a 0-100 time of just 11.2 seconds.

Yet, despite this performance, the C4 HDi still scores when it comes to fuel bowser and the environment. Euro standard figures show that this remarkable car will average just 4.0 litres per 100 km on the open road and around town still achieve an average fuel consumption of 6.0 litres per 100 km. The fact that it's a diesel means very low CO² - the greenhouse gas - emissions of just 125 g/km and its self cleaning particulate filter effectively removes particulates to below measurable levels.

The Citroen C4 has a long list of standard equipment. As well as all the innovative features, it has ABS brakes with EBD and EBA, standard variable assistance power steering, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, CD based audio system with automatic sound control, cruise control and speed limiter, Air Conditioning with climate control in the 2.0 litre versions and six air bags.

Citroen has enjoyed a renaissance worldwide over the past seven years, not just in Australia, with the marque setting five new world sales records in successive years. This has been driven by new models that have, in the case of the Berlingo, redefined their market sector, or become market leaders, in the case of the Citroen Xsara Picasso. They have dominated their market sectors, such as the C5 and set new safety standards, with the C5 being the safest car in the world and the C2, C3 and C4 leading their categories in the EuroNCAP testing. Awareness of Citroen is also at an all-time high, not just because of these new models, but also because of the domination of the World Rally Championship by the Citroen Xsara WRC, which won the World Rally Championship Manufacturers' title in its debut season and both the drivers' and manufacturers' title in 2004.

Citroen plans to grow its sales, once again, in 2005 to a total of 3,000 units, with a target of 3,500 next year. To achieve this, Citroen plans to sell a total of 900 C4s this year, rising to 1,200 in 2006. Of these, Citroen expects a split of 75 per cent C4 Hatch/25 per cent C4 Coupé. As with the Xsara, Citroen expects the top versions of the C4 to account for the majority of sales, with the VTS accounting for 60 per cent of Coupé sales, with the 1.6 litre Coupé taking a 40 per cent share. The 2.0 litre version of the C4 Hatch will be top seller in the five door range, with 60 per cent of sales, and the 1.6 Hatch taking 40 per cent. When it is launched, Citroen is planning for the C4 HDi to take 10 to 15 per cent of sales.

"The Citroen C4 is a remarkably important car for Citroen in Australia," says Miles Williams, General Manager for Citroen in Australia. "Over the past eight years Citroen's position in the Australian market has transformed, with a ten fold increase in sales and our model range going from one model to five. Citroen has moved into new market sectors, such as small cars with C2 and C3, while the Berlingo has introduced businesses to Citroen's commercial vehicle expertise."

"Now it is time for Citroen to move to a new level in Australia," explains Mr Williams. "Our target for the end of the decade is for Citroen to have one per cent of the Australian market place and it is the C4 that will drive the majority of that growth. We fully expect, once the entire range of Citroen C4 variants are on sale, that the C4 will not just become the most popular model in the Citroen range, it will ultimately double Citroen sales in Australia."