A roundup of this week's other motoring news in brief
Citroën reveals nwe DS4
Citroën has released photos of its new DS4 hatchback, the second model in the revived DS range. Due for an official launch at the Paris Motor show, the car is a beefed-up variant of the new C4, which underpins it. In terms of scale, the car is 10cm taller than the C4, standing taller than one of its obvious rivals the new Mini Countryman. And it’s the Mini comparison that Citroën is clearly pursuing with the DS range.
Inside there’s a noticeable upgrade in terms of materials and trim, while under the bonnet a line-up of five engines will include a 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel and a 160bhp 2-litre diesel.
GM plan vetoed
The White House vetoed a plan by General Motors to abandon its skyscraper headquarters in Detroit at the height of the carmakers struggle to stay afloat, according to an account by Barack Obama’s former “car tsar”. The book by Steven Rattner also claims the US government tried to lure Carlos Ghosn, boss of Renault and Nissan, to be head of GM in 2009. Although the US government owns 61 per cent of the car firm, it has always claimed it doesn’t intervene in GM’s management.
Toyota plans hybrid Yaris
Toyota plans to begin producing a hybrid version of the Yaris supermini at its factory in France starting next April, according to a Japanese business newspaper.
The petrol-electric Yaris, will be sold in Europe, the paper, owned partly by Toyota, reported without saying where it obtained the information.
A Toyota spokeswoman said the automaker could not comment on future product plans. A year ago, France's La Tribunenewspaper ran a similar report citing Toyota's plans to build a small hybrid car at its Valenciennes factory, A spokesman at the time had denied that such a plan was under consideration.
Toyota has said it plans to add the hybrid option across its entire line-up by 2020, but has not officially announced plans for a gasoline-electric Yaris.
Meanwhile Honda is due to launch a hybrid version of its Jazz in the coming months, with plans to unveil the new hybrid at the Paris motor show later this month.