First Sight: Citroën C4

 The Citroen C4 is a new car that shall be formally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September as the replacement for the Xsara that has been quietly competing in the European C-class for six years. The C4 was previewed in Geneva with the C4 Sport (a WRX themed concept car based very closely on the production 3-door C4) and less directly with the C6 Lignage Citroen concept car of Geneva 1999 which introduced many of the new car's exterior and interior design themes on a larger vehicle concept. Sitting between the C3 and C5 in Citroen's range, the C4 platform will also be shared by Citroen's partner Peugeot for the 307 replacement.

Webinars: Pilkington Vehicle Design Awards 2010

The Pilkington Vehicle Design Awards 2010 webinar was presented by Paula Hilditch of Pilkington Automotive at the Royal College of Art in London on 24 June 2010. View the recorded webinar in our archive by clicking the above link. Royal College of Art vehicle design graduates Marten Wallgren and David Seesing took top honors at the Pilkington Vehicle Design Awards held at the RCA in London on 24 June.

Saab unable to pay wages as financing crisis deepens

Saab's money troubles have worsened to the point that the struggling car maker is unable to pay its employees' wages on the eve of the Swedish mid-summer vacation period.In a brief official statement last night, Saab's parent company Swedish Automobile N.V (formerly Spyker Cars) announced that it was 'will be unable to pay the wages to employees as it has not yet obtained the necessary short-term funding.'  While Swedish Automobile and Saab continue to pursue options for securing short-term financing to solve the cashflow crisis, the company admitted 'there can however be no assurance that these discussions will be successful or that the necessary funding will be obtained.' Saab share prices tumble, Swedish government will not intervene Reaction to the worsening financial crisis from stakeholders has been predictably bleak. Swedish Automobile's shares dropped 61% in value yesterday, and are currently trading at 0.948 euro. The Swedish government, already guaranteeing a €400m loan to Saab by the European Investment Bank, shows no inclination to bail-out Saab, which employs 3800 staff.