Wednesday 27th October 2010

Citroen To Turn DS4 Into Hot Hatch?

All-wheel-drive 300hp hybrid hot hatch mooted for 2013

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Citroen is planning to put a hot version of its new DS4 hatch on the roads by 2013 - according to a report in German magazine Auto Bild.

We've thus far rather ignored the DS4 on PH, being as it's a little too run of the mill for us, but news of a potential DS4 Racing version to sit above the DS3 Racing in Citroen's hot hatch hierarchy.

Should the DS4 Racing come to fruition it would be targeted against the likes of the Golf R and Audi S3, with a 1.6-litre turbocharged motor with around 200bhp (presumably the same one that serves in the DS3 and various other Peugeot-Citroens) driving the front wheels, and a 95hp electric motor to turn the rear wheels.

Yes, that would make it a hybrid, (shudder, etc) but it would also make it a near- 300bhp hot hatch and therefore very fast.

The common-or-garden DS4 will hit showrooms next year, with the hot version - should it happen - following a couple of years after that.

[minimatt1967]

Quite why they couldn't do this to the current C4? Ya know the one that kind of keeps winning the World Rally Championship, I guess there wouldn't be a market for plethora of Loeb badged special editions.

[5lab]

this is surely the answer to putting 300bhp into a shopping car without making it the king of the undertorksteers?

[FlickingTheVeeS]

Never understood why Citroen never capitalized on Loebs severn world championships before? surely the rallying is what produced the Impreza's and Lancers.

Hopefully this will be a good one.

[anonymous-user]

minimatt1967 said:

Quite why they couldn't do this to the current C4? Ya know the one that kind of keeps winning the World Rally Championship, I guess there wouldn't be a market for plethora of Loeb badged special editions.

The have! The C4 TVS 'by Loeb'! dont think it sold too well despite being a pretty good car! guess id didnt have the BHP headlines of its rivals.

[minimatt1967]

MonkeyMatt said:

minimatt1967 said:

Quite why they couldn't do this to the current C4? Ya know the one that kind of keeps winning the World Rally Championship, I guess there wouldn't be a market for plethora of Loeb badged special editions.

The have! The C4 TVS 'by Loeb'! dont think it sold too well despite being a pretty good car! guess id didnt have the BHP headlines of its rivals.

That's what I was talking about Hardly a road going Rally rep or even a good homage to one? Standard VTS wheels painted, white Citroen have missed a BIG opportunity, think of all the special editions of the past that have helped sell the 'bread and butter' models

The Imprezza RB5


Evo Tommi Makinen edition


The M3 Ravaglia

[johnycarrera]

Was all ready to respond," I'm havin one of these" then saw the electric motor for rear wheels............ Problem being that unless it weighs just over a ton, up to 1250kg it'll be slowish and if you enhance the power it will only increase it to the front and upset the balance?
Hopefully some engineer will explain that I'm talking pish and the leccie motor could be enhanced/modified to match?

[Escort Si-130]

Sounds good to me, excellent idea.

[Sivraj]

johnycarrera said:

Was all ready to respond," I'm havin one of these" then saw the electric motor for rear wheels............ Problem being that unless it weighs just over a ton, up to 1250kg it'll be slowish and if you enhance the power it will only increase it to the front and upset the balance?
Hopefully some engineer will explain that I'm talking pish and the leccie motor could be enhanced/modified to match?

Have to say I agree!
I dont want a combined/ overall out put of 300 bhp, I want a 300bhp supercharged/ turbocharged engine in a proper four wheel drive car
Come on copy the subaru lead and give us some silly performance car based on a rally car.(there is a market for them).
Peugeout missed the trick with the 206 as well, The amount of people that wanted the WRC kit for the 206 and they released the stupid GT with its 'fat lip' bumpers.(not pretty and they didn't even fit the 2.0 180bhp to it!!)

[V8mate]

minimatt1967 said:

MonkeyMatt said:

minimatt1967 said:

Quite why they couldn't do this to the current C4? Ya know the one that kind of keeps winning the World Rally Championship, I guess there wouldn't be a market for plethora of Loeb badged special editions.

The have! The C4 TVS 'by Loeb'! dont think it sold too well despite being a pretty good car! guess id didnt have the BHP headlines of its rivals.

That's what I was talking about Hardly a road going Rally rep or even a good homage to one? Standard VTS wheels painted, white Citroen have missed a BIG opportunity, think of all the special editions of the past that have helped sell the 'bread and butter' models

What the C4 coupe always deserved was a mid-mounted 3.0V6. Would have been low volume, for sure, but would have taken back some of the kudos from the old Clio V6.

[minimatt1967]

V8mate said:

minimatt1967 said:

MonkeyMatt said:

minimatt1967 said:

Quite why they couldn't do this to the current C4? Ya know the one that kind of keeps winning the World Rally Championship, I guess there wouldn't be a market for plethora of Loeb badged special editions.

The have! The C4 TVS 'by Loeb'! dont think it sold too well despite being a pretty good car! guess id didnt have the BHP headlines of its rivals.

That's what I was talking about Hardly a road going Rally rep or even a good homage to one? Standard VTS wheels painted, white Citroen have missed a BIG opportunity, think of all the special editions of the past that have helped sell the 'bread and butter' models

What the C4 coupe always deserved was a mid-mounted 3.0V6. Would have been low volume, for sure, but would have taken back some of the kudos from the old Clio V6.

That would have suited it well.

[Fetchez la vache]

Sivraj said:

I dont want a combined/ overall out put of 300 bhp, I want a 300bhp supercharged/ turbocharged engine in a proper four wheel drive car
Come on copy the subaru lead and give us some silly performance car based on a rally car.(there is a market for them).

Ah, but really is there? I see a couple of new Focus RS's about, but new Subaru STI & Evos seem very thin on the ground... same goes for VW's new R models.

Maybe there's a shed load of these sold in London that do 5k a year, but on my travels these seem as rare as hens teeth

[P4ROT]

minimatt1967 said:

V8mate said:

minimatt1967 said:

MonkeyMatt said:

minimatt1967 said:

Quite why they couldn't do this to the current C4? Ya know the one that kind of keeps winning the World Rally Championship, I guess there wouldn't be a market for plethora of Loeb badged special editions.

The have! The C4 TVS 'by Loeb'! dont think it sold too well despite being a pretty good car! guess id didnt have the BHP headlines of its rivals.

That's what I was talking about Hardly a road going Rally rep or even a good homage to one? Standard VTS wheels painted, white Citroen have missed a BIG opportunity, think of all the special editions of the past that have helped sell the 'bread and butter' models

What the C4 coupe always deserved was a mid-mounted 3.0V6. Would have been low volume, for sure, but would have taken back some of the kudos from the old Clio V6.

That would have suited it well.

+1 always liked the funky looks but think the weedy engines let it down big time

[xkrGiles]

The standard DS4 has a 200Hp 1.6THP engine option. Why would this not feature in the PH headlights ?

I can understand ignoring the C4 but not the DS4....come on chaps wakey wakey

[Waugh-terfall]

Liking the sound of this, but hang on, Citroen have stolen the headlights from Audis A1!!

[volvoforlife]

DS4 sign me up! But not if its going to cost £30k+

[SystemParanoia]

swap the motor for a 200hp Siemens Bus motor

[Sivraj]

Fetchez la vache said:

Sivraj said:

I dont want a combined/ overall out put of 300 bhp, I want a 300bhp supercharged/ turbocharged engine in a proper four wheel drive car
Come on copy the subaru lead and give us some silly performance car based on a rally car.(there is a market for them).

Ah, but really is there? I see a couple of new Focus RS's about, but new Subaru STI & Evos seem very thin on the ground... same goes for VW's new R models.

Maybe there's a shed load of these sold in London that do 5k a year, but on my travels these seem as rare as hens teeth

I'm starting to see more of STI's floating about (which is growning on me)and the Focus RS are quite common (relativly!!)
Not seen many EVO's to be fare
(Thats traveling between the North East and North Yorkshire every day)

[gezkc]

I don't think much of Citroen's photographer - he's only managed to get two thirds of the car in shot!

...or is the idea that this version's going to be so fast, it'll be impossible to get a proper photo of it!

[ManOpener]

What's the point in fitting an electric motor (thus adding weight) to the car? If its power is generated exclusively from KERS then it makes some sense but if it's charged from the petrol engine then you might as well just have a petrol motor in a slightly higher state of tune and forgo the 200kg added weight.

[annodomini2]

ManOpener said:

What's the point in fitting an electric motor (thus adding weight) to the car? If its power is generated exclusively from KERS then it makes some sense but if it's charged from the petrol engine then you might as well just have a petrol motor in a slightly higher state of tune and forgo the 200kg added weight.

Actually you want both, KERS obviously to get some energy back and improve efficiency.

But you also want to be able to charge from the engine if it's empty.

There is a 3rd factor, the way electric motors deliver power, they tend to be constant power rather than constant torque.

The critical points to this thing are 2 fold:

1. How much weight does it add?

2. How much cost does it add to the price of the car?