A wondrous white Citroen Xsara notchback, seen on a somewhat sunny day in Beijing. The good Citroen was in very good shape inside and out, and original down to the sporty five-spoke wheels.
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The Citroen Xsara was a small family car. It was made in France from 1997 until 2006. There was a 3-door and a 5-door version. The one we have here is made in China, manufactured by Dongfeng-PSA.
Production in China started in 2003 and ended in 2005. A rather short run because sales were slow, and that was mostly due to the continuation of the Citroen ZX/Fukang/ Elysee, which was cheaper and just as spacious.
The range was very limited too. There were just three trim levels, with Exclusive being the highest. There was only one engine, a 2.0 petrol with 133 hp and 190 Nm, sending power to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.
Out car has the automatic. The interior is mostly standard, if you forget about the very ugly seat covers. Fake wood matches nicely with shine panel around the gear lever. Original radio!
Price for all this pretty started (2004) at 154.100 and ended at 173.300.
Notchback design likely didn’t help sales either. Chinese car buyers of the day wanted sedans, with a proper ass attached.
The Dongfeng Citroen badge.
Pipe peeps out of the sporty body work.
The nicely crafted Xsara badge.
The China-made Citroen Xsara in Beijing.
Have you seen a similar Citroen in China? Show us! You can now upload images in the comments below.