Citroen locks in Cactus launch

CITROEN Australia has confirmed its unusually named and styled C4 Cactus small crossover will touch down on local turf early next year.

Pricing and an exact date have yet to be finalised, but the French car-maker has outlined some of the vehicle's innovative features ahead of its arrival.

Its eye-catching “airbumps” that attracted much attention when the vehicle debuted at the Frankfurt motor show in 2013 will feature and are said to protect from minor damage.

Citroen says the air-filled polyurethane panels require no maintenance and actually reduce the vehicle's operating costs.

Its Magic Wash windscreen wipers also showcase innovative technology and release cleaning water from the blade itself, removing the need for a conventional spray, which requires twice as much water and momentarily obscures vision.

Moving the front airbags to the roof has freed up a voluminous 8.5 litres of the space in the dashboard allowing for a large stowage box where the restraint system would normally be, further adding to the car's practicality.

Citroen Australia general manager John Startari said the addition to the local line-up was important and continues the company's focus on design and innovation.

“Citroen is renowned historically for its ground breaking designs and pioneering features, and the C4 Cactus follow in the footsteps of the Grand C4 Picasso and C4 Picasso with a bold family face and innovative on-board technology,” he said.

“We are very excited about the launch of C4 Cactus in fact, we are already holding a number of pre-orders for the vehicle well ahead of its local introduction,” It will be the latest addition to the line-up in Australia, following the C4 Picasso tall-boy hatch that launched last month and the seven-seat Grand Picasso that arrived last year.

The facelifted DS3 will land in local showrooms next month.