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C4 Cactus Airflow 2L Concept
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  Citroën C4 Cactus Airflow 2L Concept      

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Country of origin:France
Produced in:2014
Introduced at:2014 Paris Motor Show
Engine type:Hybrid Air
Source:Company press release
Last updated:September 18, 2014
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Click here to download printer friendly versionThe production C4 Cactus is already 200kg lighter than the Citroën C4 hatchback, yet the C4 Cactus AIRFLOW 2L concept shaves off a further 100kg. This means Citroën's designers have reduced the weight of the concept by 11% compared with the production vehicle.

To achieve this, the brand has reduced the weight of many structural components, with the body sub-structure featuring new materials:
  • Aluminium, for the upper cowl panel, inner side members and rear floor pan
  • High-yield steels, for the front side rails and heel board
  • Composite materials for the front of the vehicle floor
These new materials are structural and help to soak up energy in the event of an impact. They also meet the highest standards in terms of mechanical strength.

This multi-material sub-structure made it necessary to develop special assembly techniques never used before in the automotive industry. Composite structural parts are a promising development area and will be essential to make cars lighter in the future. The large-scale production of these parts is one of the high-tech, industrial challenges to be addressed by the automotive sector.

Looking beyond the structural components, extensive studies were conducted on all vehicle parts to reduce weight.

Emphasis was placed on lightweight, high-performance materials:
  • Carbon-based composite materials have been used for the suspension springs, tailgate, rear bench, side panels, roof, roof cross-members, wings and doors. On the lower side sill, wheel arches and the lower part of the front bumper, the "textured" look of the carbon brings out the matt appearance of these parts, providing an attractive contrast with the pearlescent appearance of the surrounding features
  • Aluminium is used for the engine cradle. The bonnet specification is the same as for the production C4 Cactus, which already uses aluminium
  • Owing to their significantly lower bulk and density (around 2,700kg/m3 for aluminium and around 1,200 kg/m3 for carbon, compared with 7,800kg/m3 for steel), these materials contribute significantly to reducing overall vehicle weight
Given that every gram is important, Citroën also decided to use:
  • New processes to reduce the thickness of the tubes and cups in the exhaust system
  • Translucent polycarbonate, for the panoramic sunroof. This material is even lighter than multi-layer glass, but has the same properties in terms of thermal and acoustic insulation and ultra-violet filtering capability
  • Carbon fibre on the Airbump panels to make the material lighter, while maintaining its technical properties
With the brand's latest-generation Euro 6 engines, the production C4 Cactus already ranks among the best in its segment with CO2 emissions from 82g/km and fuel consumption starting at just 91.1mpg.

The C4 Cactus AIRFLOW 2L concept goes even further by adopting the Hybrid Air drivetrain. Presented by the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group in January 2013, and featured on a Citroën C3 at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, this technology combines a range of proven sub-systems and technologies. This includes a 3-cylinder PureTech petrol engine, a compressed air energy storage unit, a hydraulic pump/motor unit and an automatic transmission with an epicyclic gear train. An intelligent electronic management system manages input from the driver to optimise energy efficiency.

Three operating modes are available:
  • Air power (zero emissions) where the compressed air motor takes over from the petrol engine
  • Petrol power, using only the combustion engine
  • Combined power, drawing upon both the combustion engine and the compressed air
On the C4 Cactus AIRFLOW 2L concept, the two compressed air storage tanks are made of composite materials and are positioned at the rear of the vehicle.

The PureTech 82 engine, already available on the production model, has been optimised for this new hybrid drivetrain. Friction losses, which account for 20% of the power consumed by the engine, have been reduced in several ways. This includes using a Diamond-like carbon coating, making moving parts lighter and using bearings to guide rotating parts. Further improvements were made by adopting new polymer pads and using very low viscosity oil. Combined with efforts to optimise combustion, overall engine efficiency has been improved by 5%.

Combining the PureTech 82 engine with Hybrid Air technology for this concept reduces fuel consumption by 30% and contributes significantly to achieving a vehicle capable of 2l/100 km, while approaching the PureTech 110 in terms of dynamic performance.

All these advanced technologies together deliver consumption of 2l/100 km. It could therefore be possible, in the medium term, for a production vehicle such as C4 Cactus to reach this target.
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