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| Auto&Design Oct.-Nov. 1988 | ||||||
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in new clothes, maybe with a few aesthetic details that on the DX could be used to sound out the public's reactions in those strange clinic tests called Motor Shows? Having already tackled the "ECO" theme when head of the Advanced Style Center "DRAS", Activa Is Mr. A.H. Blakeslee's first task as manager of the Citroen Design Center, a job he took on a year and a half ago. It has taken shape, at least according to intentions, about one -year prior Co. the Paris "Mondial". "We sat down at a table" relates Blakeslee, "designers and engineers alike, and for at least three weeks discussed the stylistic, technical, electronic and hydraulic possibilities of our ideas. The aim was to show the public and press our potential, or rather, to get across Citroen's determination. It was also to strengthen communication between our designers and engineers". The styling message The car body is characterized by an extremely short rear end that acts as a spoiler and can therefore be defined as a smooth and very rounded two and a half-box shape. This lack of balance in the passenger space towards the rear end gives rise to a pleasingly asymmetrical look, suggesting a feeling of Forward thrust and adding a touch of pep to the monotony typical of today's concept-cars. The pillars are completely hidden by Flush glazing made with the contribution of Saint-Gobain, major manufacturers of polycamber glass. In addition, Activa has allowed itself the luxury of eliminating B-pillars, with back doors that open up-wind. Certainly not a new idea, considering that it was Vincenzo Lancia's favorite architecture, but still, an interesting one and quite a plus for accessibility. Far from the spacial Cd of Eole, Activa has a much more earthly figure of 0.25, good but nothing exceptional on a concept-car that is 4750 mm long, 1900 mm wide and 1270 mm high. There are no real bumpers. At the front, just above the spoiler that changes position and aerodynamic load in accordance with speed changes, we find the complex-surface headlamps, small in size but big in power, developed in cooperation with Valeo. Four holes front and rear are not styling doubts but sensors, drowned in the fenders, that act as radar singling out any obstacles that fall within a 1.4 meter distance of the vehicle and quickly informing the driver through the instrumentation. On opening the doors you'll discover an environment with four comfortable seats. The Steering wheel is an attention getter with its non-circular but aeronautical cloche-like shape closed at the top. The "chevron" concept exudes from a number of details, from the shape of the dashboard to the arrangement of the push-buttons on the console and the fairing of the rear headrests. The seatbelts are built into the structure of the electrically adjustable seats. Electronics are everywhere, from the central monitor that combines Minitel with the digital display of the dashboard strip. And so is that aseptic, science fiction and slightly cold atmosphere shared by all of today's concept-cars. The needle rev counter and digital speedometer can be easily read on the windscreen without taking one's eyes off the road. And all the electronics run through Multiplex wires, the sophisticated wiring system already tested on the Cadillac Allante. |
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