The new Citroen C-Elysee has been launched on the Shanghai Auto Show, it will hit the Chinese car market later this year, price will start around 75.000 yuan. The new C-clysee is made by the Dongfeng-PSA joint venture and replaces the current c-Elysee that is based on the first generation Citroen ZX. The new c-Elysee is identical to the new Peugeot 301, which will be made in China as well.

The new C-Elysee will be powered by a new 1.6 liter MPI engine with 114hp, mated to a 5-speed manual or CVT. A 1.8 and possibly a 1.6 turbo are expected to become available next year. The new C-Elysee will compete directly with the Volkswagen Jetta and Volkswagen Santana and a many sedans from local Chinese automakers.

Design is as boring as they come but this segment of the market isn’t into exciting cars. Buyers believe a vehicle should work properly, be cheap to run, and seat four in some comfort. Even chrome is deemed unnecessary…

The old ZX-based C-Elysee became more popular the older it got. Citroen continued to gradually improve the car over the almost 15 years it was in production. The end result was a predictable and very reliable car, with parts as cheap as a bicycle bell. The new C-Elysee has a lot to live up to…