PSA Peugeot Citroën Launches Pilot Process Engineering Phase For Diesel Hybrid Production at the Mulhouse and Sochaux plants.
Several months ago, PSA Peugeot Citroën’s Mulhouse and Sochaux plants launched pilot projects to process engineer the new HYbrid4 hybrid diesel 4WD technology.


Applying highly innovative quality and lean manufacturing methods, the two plants have put together in-house teams to engineer the processes and facilities for HYbrid4 technology, scheduled to enter production in 2011.

HYbrid4 technology combines an HDi diesel engine and an electric motor, which is located on the rear axle. To support this technology, the Group has developed a unique rear-axle assembly on which the electric motor will be mounted. The modular architecture of this technology means that it is portable across several vehicle types, irrespective of the engine type.
Over recent months teams at the Mulhouse plant’s mechanical assembly unit have deployed a series of lean manufacturing projects aimed at improving the organization of the workshop that will assemble the new electric drivetrain. PSA Peugeot Citroën’s lean manufacturing enables efficiency, quality and costs to be optimised through teamwork.
This is a highly complex process, because it involves the assembly of both conventional mechanical parts and newer electrical components. By using a full-scale 3-D model to create a virtual workshop, team leaders and technicians are identifying ways to drive improvements in both efficiency and quality. These simulations are designed to optimize use of floor space, enhance workstation ergonomics and generally facilitate handling and assembly while streamlining logistics flows. Their outcomes will also be used to prepare precise specifications for suppliers.

Several prototype Peugeot 3008 vehicles fitted with HYbrid4 technology have already rolled off the prototype assembly line at the Sochaux plant. The Integration of the hybrid drivetrain into the vehicle was completed in record time by leveraging the extensive hybrid-drivetrain expertise acquired in recent years, most notably on the Citroën C4 and Peugeot 308. Development work was further accelerated by routinely using digital tools, which model both physical and virtual aspects of the process and by locating the entire Hybrid project team on-site. Cellular working also got the best out of the teams and accelerated development.
Several months from now, PSA Peugeot Citroën will finalise how the production of this future technology will be organized.

PSA Peugeot Citroën unveiled its HYbrid4 diesel-electric technology at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. With an HDi diesel engine and an electric motor at the rear, the innovative technology delivers a multitude of benefits. In addition to considerable fuel savings and around a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions, the technology introduces a new breed of all-wheel drive thanks to an electric motor, which powers the rear wheels. It also opens the door to more extensive use of electric vehicles as a choice for city driving. From 2011, the crossover Peugeot 3008 followed by the Citroën DS5, will be the first of the Group’s vehicles to benefit from this cutting edge technology.

‘‘STRUCTURAL’’ INNOVATIONS

The structure of the Peugeot 3008 was carefully studied to ensure not only maximum secondary safety, but also – and herein lies the difficulty with a large and tall vehicle – a rigidity worthy of a saloon, in order to get the very best from the suspension, enhance primary safety and guarantee the driving pleasure on which the company prides itself.

Other parameters which were also considered at the same time were, reducing the car’s weight, the integration of a glass roof and the ease of facilitating this for the stylists… Here the Peugeot 3008 benefits from the Group’s extensive experience and know-how (see section on ‘‘Safety’’) but also important innovations, both in the design of some of its components and in terms of industrial assembly processes.

Laser welding

The technique of laser welding is used for panel and metalwork during assembly of the car’s body. This process consists of welding in a continuous bead as opposed to tack welding. It is applied to the door frames and in particular parts of the rear structure.

In addition to guaranteeing excellent body rigidity, this technique opens up new possibilities during the design stage by reducing the area of panel joins required for traditional welding. This results in a weight reduction of 5 kg for the car as a whole, optimization of window size and therefore driver visibility.

The Boge impact absorber

To obtain the smallest possible front overhang, both to enhance the car’s style and facilitate use of the vehicle on a day-to-day basis, it was necessary to use a more efficient impact absorption beam. The introduction of an innovative Boge impact absorber (the name comes from the patent holder) has allowed this specification to be achieved.

It uses two conical absorbers, located between the impact absorption beam and the chassis leg, which is programmed with a controlled deformation in the event of collision and ‘‘collapses’’ internally without affecting the chassis leg and therefore the engine compartment.

Weight optimization

With the objective of providing optimum safety – while ensuring minimal impact on the vehicle’s overall weight – led to the use of materials lighter than ordinary steel. High strength steel panels, including a new ‘‘three-phase’’ steel which becomes stronger the higher the impact speed, accounts for 12.5% of the vehicle’s weight.

Mention should also be made of the bonnet which is manufactured from aluminum (as is the front impact absorption beam) and the front wings, manufactured from a composite material.

Along similar lines, the panoramic laminated glass roof, as on the 308 SW, uses a glass thickness of only 5 mm, allowing a gain of nearly 5 kg compared to traditional technology, while at the same time retaining the same level of safety.

5. AFM: Sistem obdavčevanja ekološko prijaznih avtomobilov v Franciji ne vzpodbuja nakupov velikih avtomobilov. Boste zato pri vaših novih večjih modelih iskali le rešitve s hibridnim pogonom?
Collin:Ne. Na francoskem trgu imamo med avtomobili, ki imajo emisije manj kot 120 g CO2 na kilometer, kar 16 odstotkov tržnega deleža, kar pomeni seveda prvo mesto. To svoje mesto smo dosegli s sodobnimi motorji, bencinskimi in dizelskimi, z dobrimi aerodinamičnimi lastnostmi in z manjšo maso avtomobilov. Ta kombinacija je bila že doslej zmagovalna. Toda doseči cilj, postavila ga je EU, da z vsemi avtomobili pridemo pod 130 g na kilometer, je precej zahteven. In zato bomo potrebovali številne tehnološke rešitve. Res je sicer, da imata Peugeot in PSA boljše izhodišče kot pa nekateri drugi izdelovalci. Toda hibridna tehnologija je tudi pri velikih avtomobilih le ena od možnosti. Tu so še druge. Že omenjeni projekt RC-Z, športni kupe, bo eden prvih z našo novo tehnologijo lahke gradnje. Takšen način konstrukcije bo tudi v nekaterih naših drugih novostih, ki bodo sicer opremljene s hibridnim pogonom, bencinskim in dizelskim, ki jih bomo v prihodnosti predstavili kot našo ponudbo v segmentu večjih avtomobilov.

Citroenovi DS-načrti
Pri Citroenu so dokončno razkrili načrte v zvezi z linijo modelov DS.

Besedilo: Marko Hanželič

Najmanjši predstavnik Citroenovega prestižnega vala, model z oznako DS3, bo na ogled že septembra v Frankfurtu, njegova večja sorodnika po imenu DS4 in DS5 pa bosta na evropska tržišča prispela leta 2011. Kot namigujejo že šteilčne oznake, bodo novinci vsaj arhitekturno blizu modelom C3, C4 in C5, kljub bolj luksuzni zasnovi. Citroen DS4 bo oblikovno blizu konceptu C-Sportlounge, medtem ko bo DS5 precej spominjal na koncept Hypnos.

Pri Citroenu so napovedali tudi konec proizvodnje modela C3 za letošnjo jesen ter opustitev modela C3 Pluriel. Podobno sicer velja tudi za model C2, ki prav tako naj ne bi dobil naslednika, čeprav ga bo vsaj v duhovnem smislu nadomestil nov model, ki bo nastal na oblikovni osnovi koncepta C-Cactus.

CITROENAR ŠT 1 je napisal/-a:
Sicer je le zadnji odstavek neka novost ampak je lepo, da izvemo kaj novega, pa čeprav samo ene par stvari.

Lp

drugmirko je napisal/-a:

CITROENAR ŠT 1 je napisal/-a:
Sicer je le zadnji odstavek neka novost ampak je lepo, da izvemo kaj novega, pa čeprav samo ene par stvari.

Lp

dej no... zadnji odstavek kaže ali na novinarjevo generalno nepoznavanje stvari s katero se ukvarja ali pa na papagajsko prepisovanje PR pamfletov objavljenih v drugi, enako ignorantski štampi!

5v C3 ne bodo "opustili", temveč pride nov model z isto oznako, s čigar špijuni veselo polnimo C3II thread!
C2 JE trivratni C3, torej je tehnično njegov naslednik DS3, Pluriel gre pa res v penzijo... vsaj dokler se recimo ne pojavi DS3 cabrio... ker Pluriel je pač samo kabrio C3!
to, da vsak od tria C2/C3/Pluriel zgleda drugače in nosi drugo ime, je pač marketiška taktika Citroena, tehnično gre pa za 3v, 5v in cabrio verzije ENEGA modela!

C-Cactus bo pa "nadomestil" C2 samo zarad "frej oznake", ker so trivratno verzijo C3 "vrnili" pod cifro osnovnega modela oz. pod "luksuz tag"... avto sam bi zanl bit pa precej večji in popolnoma drugačne filozofije kot C2, katerega "naj bi menjal"!
me prav zanima, kaj bodo tile vrli novinarji pisali o "duhovnem nasledstvu malega mestnega C2" ob predstavitvi recimo... štirivtanega, 4m+ dolgega hibrida, ki bo oblikovno vlekel na SUV crossover... :P

esem je napisal/-a:
Insiderji govorijo, da firmo mika "obuditev" SM-a. Super!!

esem je napisal/-a:Citroen bo morda oživil tudi ID ime in morda še kakšno (Talbot kot budget car je itak v igri).

Insiderji govorijo, da firmo mika "obuditev" SM-a. Super!!

... although any inspiration is likely to be used for future design details rather than the name or its high-end concept.