So we know Loeb's going to be taking on the
WTCC next year
. And here's the car he'll be doing it in, the Citroen C-Elysee. Citroen what? Fair question, there being a notable lack of three-box saloons in the current UK Citroen range.
The C-Elysee road car is an important model for Citroen in expanding markets where traditional saloons still hold sway. Much like the booted Audi A3, the C-Elysee is a three-box version of what we'd consider a C-segment hatchback and sells in places like China, Russia and South America. Which, no coincidence at all, host WTCC rounds with, Citroen hopes, impressionable customers ready to buy into hoped for/expected Loeb-driven success and perhaps makes up for a decade of failing to do exactly that off the back of WRC dominance.
Will Citroen respond with a road car this time?
Citroen Racing's technical head Xavier Mestelan-Pinon explains in the press release unveiling the car that it uses much of what has been learned on the DS3 WRC car. "From a strictly technical perspective, the choice of a three-box saloon body was ideal in terms of aerodynamics. C-Elysee was therefore the perfect choice. Insofar as this is our first track racing car, we constantly had to ask ourselves questions about the relevance of our choices, but that's what makes this a particularly exciting challenge."
Indeed, the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine comes straight from the DS3 WRC, different regulations and, fnarr, a "wider boost flange" meaning it now puts out "close to" 380hp, equating to nearly 239hp per litre. It drives the front wheels through a sequential Sadev gearbox and the whole car weighs just 1,100kg with the driver on board. Potent then, but probably pretty tame compared with Loeb's 875hp/875kg LMP-derived 208 T16 he's used to ease the transition from rallying to street racing.
The car is already testing and will get its formal unveiling at the Frankfurt show in September.
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