It’s a Citroen, but not as you normally know them. The car pictured is the Citroen C-Elysee WTCC – the French giant’s vehicle for the 2014 World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).
Multiple World Rally Championship winner and now Pikes Peak champion Sebastien Loeb will head the Citroen team’s driver lineup in the new WTCC.
Citroen is the first brand to reveal its racer, built for the revised WTCC regulations for next year.
Next year WTCC rounds have been scheduled for Latin America, Morocco, China and Russia – all major growth markets for Citroen’s C-Elysee, a C-segment sedan which is not sold in Australia.
Powered by a 284kW turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine (the same as used in Citroen’s DS3 WRC), the WTCC racer drives the front wheels via a six-speed transmission.
Citroen Racing was glad to adopt the marketing department’s request for the C-Elysse as the WTCC racer as the ‘three-box’ sedan was perfect for the massive aerodynamic additions and eased the installation of mechanical components and the drivers’ safety capsule.
The Citroen C-Elysee is now undergoing rigorous testing and will make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
