When PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) and Toyota decided to build a car together, they turned their attention toward the mini segment, and the result was the trio Citroen C1-Toyota Aygo-Peugeot 107.
While the Citroen Saxo had to go, the new proposal was considered a smart business move for the French carmaker, who could share the development and production costs with the biggest carmaker in the world, Toyota. It also benefited from its experience with the mini segment.
Citroen adopted a style with rounded headlights, extended on the sides with the turn-signals. The double-chevron chromed badge adorned its short hood, and the grille was moved to the lower side of the bumper. A black, plastic mold protected the car from small parking bumps. It was notorious how the French drivers used to make room in the parking lots by pushing other vehicles.
Inside, depending on the trim-level, the C1 featured a tachometer mounted on top of the speedometer. Citroen installed both of them on the steering column assembly. The center stack's simple layout allowed easy use of the HVAC controls—the C1 featured power windows at the front and fixed windows in the rear. Thanks to its wide doors, the three-door version allowed easier access to the front seats than the five-door version.
Under the hood, Toyota provided the 1.0-liter gasoline engine and PSA (Peugeot-Citroen Group) the 1.4-diesel version. Both versions were paired as standard to a 5-speed manual, while a 5-speed automated version was available as an option. The latter consisted of a manual gearbox and a computer-controlled clutch-actuator system.
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