2007 - Espera Pontarlier

C-Cruise Crosser

In 2007, Citroën has just introduced the C-Crosser, an SUV produced by PSA in partnership with Mitsubishi. To anchor this vehicle in the brand's tradition and past, Citroën asked Franco Sbarro to create a 6-wheel-drive vehicle, in the spirit of the famous black cruisers of the 1920s. However, the C-Cruise Crosser is very much in the spirit of the times, with its hybrid electric-diesel engine.

Particularly impressive vehicle, with its 5.15 m length and six wheels

Appeal to the past

Appealing to one's historical heritage is a means of communication that lends legitimacy and strength to a manufacturer. At Citroën, the yellow and black cruisers of the 1920s have left their mark and are regularly recalled. The autochenilles appear regularly at classic car events. And Franco Sbarro was commissioned to build a six-wheeled Berlingo in 2000, the Croisière jeune. In 2007, the C-Crosser was transformed into a six-wheeler.
The six wheels are of course the outstanding feature of this concept (photo: L'Internaute Magazine/Yoann Genouvrier).

Pick-up

The bodywork is pickup-style. The rear overhang has been lengthened to accommodate a second rear suspension. The rear compartment can accommodate additional passengers on a third row of seats, or luggage. Loading is facilitated by the cleverly designed rear door opening and side steps.

The elongated rear allows the creation of a pickup truck with a third row of seats (photo by Klaus Nahr for Wikipedia).

Interior

The interior is particularly spacious and luxurious, with an orange hue echoing the color of the bodywork, and a new seat fabric reminiscent of Nato woven watchbands. A cable runs around the interior, acting as a grab handle.
Black and orange are well suited to the lines of the C-cruise crosser (Citroën photo)

Hybrid and 6x6

Under the pickup bed is a motor powered by a 20-kilowatt battery. This is used to power the third row of wheels. So, flipping the switch on the dashboard to switch from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive actually results in six-wheel drive.
During a test drive in May 2007, the British magazine Car found the car rather agile, with the lack of power from the combustion engine partially compensated for by the electric motor. The journalist praised the car's all-terrain capabilities, with a rear grip that, in his own words, was astounding.

In brief
1- Official order from Citroën
2- Hybrid diesel-electric engine
3- Six-wheel drive pick-up
  • Four-cylinder diesel engine
  • Displacement 2179 cm3
  • 160 hp
  • Six-speed manual gearbox
  • 20 kw electric motor
  • 4 or 6-wheel drive
  • Length 5.15 m, width 1.805 m, height 1.715 m