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CITROËN C-AIRLOUNGE
THE ART OF SYNTHESIS
Unveiled
at the Frankfurt Motor Show, C-Airlounge illustrates
the art of
synthesis in automotive design. An objective long
pursued by Citroën.
The concept car combines:
- strong appeal through an
original style based on aerodynamic lines and
interior space;
-
and a new art of on-board living based on a
sophisticated, high-tech
interior design that places the emphasis on
user-friendly design and
long journeys.
A NEW ARCHITECTURAL
SOLUTION
C-Airlounge
embodies an original architectural solution
combining aerodynamic
design with modular interior space. Designed for the
wide open spaces,
it is a car whose exceptional on-road performance is
a guarantee of
driveability and safety.
STRONG APPEAL
On
C-Airlounge, the design lines of the front-end
express both purity and
strength. The characteristic V-shape of the bonnet
starts at the grille
and opens out to join the base of the windscreen
pillars. The
determined look of the front-end is enhanced by the
wide air intakes
and clearcut headlamps, offering a promise of
performance The
swivelling beams of the headlamps provide optimised
lighting for night
driving on winding roads, a feature that brings a
considerable
improvement in safety. With its generous, rounded
forms, wide tracks
and large-diameter wheels, the C-Airlounge is a car
that conveys a
sense of strength and power.
Viewed
from the side, C-Airlounge conveys a fluid yet
dynamic air. The purity
of the styling lines is emphasised by a chrome strip
that raises the
waist line, and by the absence of central pillars –
a feature made
possible by the installation of seat-integrated
belts at the front.
This design choice fully reveals the vast passenger
compartment. As
does the roof panel, which lets the light flood in
to reinforce the
impression of on-board space.
OPTIMISED AERODYNAMIC
DESIGN
Extensive
studies were conducted on the aerodynamics of the
car. The simultaneous
implementation of four air-flow control systems
gives C-Airlounge a Cd
of 0.26, to bring acoustic comfort, lower fuel
consumption and reduced
pollutant emissions. Cl at front and rear is 0.02
and 0.04
respectively. These values ensure vehicle stability
at high speeds.
The four air-flow control
systems installed on the car are:
· Blade Vortex Generators
Installed
crosswise at the rear of the roof, these deflectors
work by producing
small swirls of air locally. The effect is to
streamline the flow of
air behind the vehicle.
· Wheel fairings
Wheel fairings are placed
in front each of the four wheels to deflect the air
flow and minimise its impact on tread.
· Air ducts between the
front end and wheel arches
These air ducts are
designed to channel air from the front end, where
pressure is highest, into the front wheel arches:
- along a vertical slit,
located close to the outer edge, in order to improve
the aerodynamic profile of the wheel;
-
along a slit located under the lower side panels,
upstream of the
wheel, in order to limit the frontal impact of air
on the tread.
· The wheel rims have been
designed to suck the air towards the centre of the
wheel and so minimise the creation of swirl.
DYNAMIC WELL-BEING
C-Airlounge
is fitted with the 3.0i V6 engine developing maximum
power of 152 kW
EEC (210 bhp DIN) at 6,000 rpm. The engine is
coupled with an automatic
auto-adaptive gearbox controlled by a sequential
gear lever, or by
paddles behind the wheel.
The
steering wheel is of fixed hub design. It features
the controls for the
audio system, horn, electric parking brake,
hands-free telephone and
attitude adjustment function. This layout spares the
driver any
unnecessary movement and so contributes to
exceptional driving
pleasure. In terms of safety, the choice of a
fixed-hub wheel ensures
optimised performance in airbag deployment.
The
Hydractive 3 suspension naturally sets high
standards in comfort and
roadholding. Offering a choice between two
suspension settings, comfort
or sport, it automatically adapts vehicle height to
speed and road
surface.
This
function lowers the centre of gravity by 15 mm to
improve vehicle
stability at sustained speeds. On badly damaged road
surfaces, the
suspension automatically increases vehicle height by
20 mm.
C-Airlounge
is equipped with Michelin A Eole tyres whose
development was part of
the vehicle design process. As a result, the level
of force generated
by the tyre moving through the air has been
optimised. This type of
tyre offers the advantages of PAX System technology:
flat-running,
increased loading capacity, lower sidewalls with no
trade-off in
comfort, and reduced rolling resistance.
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
· Dimensions
Length: 4,880 mm
Width: 1,930 mm
Height: 1,580 mm
Wheel base: 2,900 mm (C5
platform with extended wheelbase)
Cabin length: between 1,731
and 2,031 mm
Boot volume: between 450
and 650 litres
- Cd: 0.26
Cl at front: 0.02
Cl at rear: 0.04
· Engine / gearbox: 3.0i V6
Automatic
Gear-changing controlled by
paddles on steering wheel
Sequential gear lever
Fixed-hub steering wheel
· Suspension: Hydractive 3
· Tyres: Michelin 245-720 R
540 A Eole PAX System on light alloy wheels
· Headlamps: four
swivelling lights at the front
A NEW ART OF ON-BOARD
LIVING
Heralding
a new era in on-board living C-Airlounge adapts the
art of entertaining
to the automotive world. Premium-quality materials
create an impression
of peace as part of a full sensorial experience that
is designed to
satisfy passenger requirements. High-comfort
individual seats create a
user-friendly atmosphere, while advanced technology
focuses on vehicle
users and their well-being.
SENSUAL SHAPES AND
MATERIALS
The
interior of C-Airlounge creates visual and tactile
sensations through
the use of sophisticated materials, the marked
curves of onboard
furnishings and the ample opening on the outside
world.
At
first sight, the passenger compartment of
C-Airlounge appears to be a
model of minimalist purity. That is because the
observer can see only
one of its many facets. White is – for a time – the
dominant colour. In
this restful atmosphere, the dynamics of the design
concept are
reinterpreted by a long red line running along the
armrests, whose
colour matches the leather on the back of the middle
seat.
The
seats upholstered in white satin-finish leather
appear to hover
weightlessly above the thick wool carpet. The
scrolled armrests running
along the side doors, featuring a white silk trim,
also contribute to
the overall feeling of buoyant lightness.
The
airy layout of the passenger compartment maintains
an atmosphere of
total peace. Free spirits can escape to the outside
world, through the
vast panoramic sunroof and entirely unencumbered
side view. The
seatbelts integrated with the seat-frames allowed
the stylists to
create a structure without central pillars.
The finish and surface
colours of the dashboard and wheel match the other
interior fittings.
With
its white satin-finish leather trim, the luggage
compartment is
coordinated with the passenger area. The attention
given to detail is
reflected by the inclusion of a luggage line
designed by Hermès®. Taken
from the Plume range, these products are bright red
in colour, a
perfect match with the vermilion notes of the
passenger compartment.
CUSTOMISED INTERIOR DESIGN
SCHEMES
During
their journey, the occupants of C-Airlounge can
change the appearance
of their surroundings, transforming the passenger
compartment from top
to bottom. The furnishings provide a medium for the
plays of light
projected by means of optic fibres and
video-projectors in the carpet
and in the trim of the armrests.
From
its original pure, zen-like state, the vehicle
interior changes its
appearance several times in succession to adopt a
baroque-style décor
at the end of the process. Between these two
extremes, several
intermediate design schemes are available to meet a
full range of
passenger requirements.
-
In its original Pure guise, the vehicle displays an
immaculate
interior. The touches of red on the scrolled
armrests and on the back
of the rear middle seat add a few notes of colour.
- A Convivial spirit warms
up the atmosphere with a glowing light, similar to
that of a candle.
-
An Intense change of decor is expressed by a sudden
stream of light
flooding into the passenger compartment. The door
panels and floor are
set ablaze in incandescent red.
-
A Romantique interlude creates a new décor. Coloured
arabesques make
their appearance, bringing touches of red to the
door panels.
-
A Baroque scene creates a luxurious atmosphere in
which the
sophisticated decor gives way to an inrush of light
that fills the
passenger compartment.
THE FREEDOM OF MODULAR
DESIGN
Inside
C-Airlounge, the use of space is considered as a
fundamental component
of passenger well-being. In both a four-seater and
five-seater
configuration, the passenger compartment provides a
comfortable,
individual area for each occupant. Power-assisted
modular design
functions let the users configure the interior to
suit:
- The “club” configuration
(five seats)
For
face-to-face contact between passengers at the rear,
the seats in row 2
take on a herringbone layout with the two side seats
turned slightly
towards the centre.
- The “premium comfort”
configuration (four seats)
The
central seat retracts under the floor, freeing up
more space for the
two side seats. Mounted on rails in a curve, the two
power-controlled
seats can be moved forwards and backwards in order
to obtain maximum
leg room.
Whatever the configuration,
C-Airlounge boasts generous boot space. Capacity
varies between 450 and 650 litres.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
An
avant-garde vehicle, C-Airlounge illustrates a new
user-centric
approach to technology. The vehicle adapts to the
daily life of users,
who are able to remain in contact with their own
virtual world.
The
technology of C-Airlounge lets users use their own
data resources for
both leisure and professional purposes. Relaxing in
comfort, passengers
at the rear are free to watch a film, listen to
music, play a network
game, make changes to a professional document or
surf the Web.
This
advanced technology is designed to be discreet in
order to avoid
modifying the atmosphere of well-being that is
central to this concept.
Two tablet PCs – notebook computers the size of a
clipboard – are
stored under the side armrests. By just touching the
tactile screen,
the user can access the full range of images, sounds
and games in the
onboard media library. A pen lets the occupants use
the tablets in the
same way as graphics tablets, in order to make
written notes or to use
the software.
A
short-range wireless network provides a link between
the multimedia
centre in the central console and the tablet PCs.
The data stored in
this multimedia centre (films, music, video games,
etc.) can be
downloaded from the user’s home or from any data
providers (media
library, tourism bureau, etc.) using the external
extension provided by
the vehicle’s wireless network.
The
presence of this technology on C-Airlounge
demonstrates Citroën’s
capacity for creativity and invention, based on
innovation and
automotive pleasure.
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