Citroen has been setting out its stall to tempt buyers for the 08-plate change and a sales uplift cannot come soon enough for the French brand in Britain.

Citroen saw their UK car sales drop by 16.5pc in January as customers wait for the new 08 registration plate and the all-new C5 range which goes on sale in the UK in late Spring in saloon form. C5 Tourer estate versions (right) will arrive late Summer in time for the new 58-September plate change month.

Although Citroen new car sales were down, registrations in January of their light commercial vehicles increased by 38pc.Citroen will continue their two-pronged marketing and sales strategies, the value for money brand and their wide range of low CO₂ ‘green’ models of which there are 20 derivatives.
Their message is clear: Citroen offers vehicles with a competitive purchase price and low running costs as far as fuel economy and CO₂ Vehicle Excise Duty charges are concerned. 

The new special edition C4 Picasso Lounge (above) with four luxury ‘Captain’ style leather seats, a powerful HiFi sound system, acoustic laminated glass for a whisper quiet ride, big chrome wheels, black paint and more exterior chrome trim makes this a smart business or family ‘executive’ carrier. 
This model is currently exclusive to the UK market and Citroen are initially supplying 250 units for sale priced at £23,995, £1,900 more than the C4 Picasso Auto Exclusive version on which it is based.
With its 2.0-litre HDI turbodiesel 138bhp engine now mated with Citroen’s new 6-speed automatic gearbox the C4 Lounge travels relatively smoothly and quietly up to 118mph and will return almost 40mpg, 33.9mpg on test this week.
The finish of the interior is exceptional and the exterior look is appealing but I have some worries as to the practicality of only offering for seats when the C4 Picasso normally offers five.
It is after all an MPV, or people carrier, but with only 250 units to sell I guess the executive chauffeur companies will be queuing up for them. The larger road wheels make the hard work of absorbing the potholes and bumps associated with our UK roads though.

However the new C1 Code priced at £7,945 for the three door and £8,295 for five door (right) is strong on sales appeal for customers who only need a small car which is ideal for city use and commuting.
With its 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine it will return over 60mpg and with low CO₂ emissions of just 109g/km it means only a £35 a year road tax bill.
This Code features black metallic paint, alloy wheels, black leather upholstery and lots of chrome trim. It looks very smart, a small car big on style.

Briefly they have a C2 1.6HDi VTS punchy diesel hatchback which goes from 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds yet does 60+mpg and with CO₂ emissions of 109g/km road tax is £35 a year. This car carries a Group 6E insurance rating and is priced at £13,595.
Talking of ‘green’ Citroen are introducing the C4 Bioflex with a 1.6-litre engine which can run on E85 bioethanol, regular unleaded petrol or both. For those wanting to lower their car’s CO₂ emissions they fall by 5pc to 160g/km. Both the C4 Bioflex hatchback and coupe models with this engine cost £14,195.
Citroen’s slow selling but wonderfully comfortable C6 large executive saloon will receive a sales boost with an option of a smaller diesel engine.
Up to now the C6 has been available with V6 petrol and diesel units with automatic transmissions. Sensibly they are now offering the C6 with a 2.2-litre HDi four-cylinder diesel engine and six-speed manual gearbox.
Top speed is 135mph, 0-62mph takes under 10 seconds but the CO₂ levels come down to 175g/km giving a road tax bill of £165 a year and of course marginally less company car tax for business users.
Apart from having to change gear manually, the C6 2.2 HDi with a more practical engine should appeal to more customers. Depending on the specification level chosen it still costs between £28,395 and £34,695 and for that price there are better proven executive cars on the market, but perhaps none more distinctive.