Citroen is planning to launch an all-new C4 Cactus in 2020 with a fully electric powertrain option, alongside conventional engine choices.
The compact SUV has recently received a mid-life facelift, but that extends the current car only until the end of the decade. An all-new version will move from the old PF1 platform to the PSA Group’s new Compact Modular Platform (CMP), shared with the next Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa.
Like the 208, the platform is designed to integrate both internal combustion engines and an electric powertrain. Arnaud Belloni, Citroën’s senior vice-president of global marketing and communications, confirmed to Drive-My that the C4 Cactus would be the first electric model to be launched by the brand since the C-Zero city car.
The new models form part of the PSA Group’s wide-reaching electrification plans, which will see a plug-in hybrid or electric version of every Citroën, DS, Peugeot and Vauxhall launched from next year onwards.
Further details of the new C4 Cactus are thin on the ground, but we know it will usher in a new design language with inspiration from the Cxperience concept of 2016. It will also feature further developments of Citroën’s Advanced Comfort strategy. We can expect to see a familiar range of Puretech petrol and BlueHDI diesel engines offered alongside the electric version.
Before that car’s launch, Citroën will in 2019 show two new concept cars, the first of which will debut at the Geneva motor show as the centrepiece of its centenary celebrations. Belloni describes it as being “as important to Citroën as the 2CV was” and showcasing a “revolution” for the brand.
The small, city-focused concept will preview an “affordable” production car that will also be fully electric. “It will keep the spirit of the 2CV but, instead of being a car for rural people, it will be for city dwellers,” Belloni continued.
In April, Citroën will also showcase its take on what a driverless car future could look like with another concept at the Shanghai motor show.
Existing C4 Cactus has recently had a mid-life facelift. Cxperience hints at the design of the next C4 Cactus.
