Large four-seat executive cabriolets aren't going make Citroen a great deal of money, but a new C5 will - especially if it looks anything like this drop-top concept. And so it should, the C5 Airspace concept pointing to how Citroen's new saloon will look. So forget for a moment the fancy carbon-fibre folding roof with its integrated sunroof and faux canvas look, and concentrate instead on some other smart details. Those bold headlamps, the C6-aping concave rear window, the elegant creases on the bonnet and confident feature lines and wheelarches on its flanks - they all hint at a far more dramatic looking replacement for the rather forgettable current C5. That's no bad thing, with rivals like Ford's Mondeo featuring stronger, more confident design Citroen will need the next C5 to stand out. It's not just the styling where the C5 Airscape reveals Citroen's future C5 plans, but also the powertrain. Being a concept the C5 Airscape features the biggest, most prestigious engine in the range: a 208bhp 2.7-litre HDI V6 turbodiesel that's bio-diesel enabled. It's what's been done to that V6 that's most interesting. The C5 Airscape's V6 features a system that Citroen calls 'UrbanHybrid'.

This stop-start fuel and CO₂ reducing technology utilises a reversible alternator-starter and super capacitors to scavenge energy during braking and deceleration. This 'free' energy is then used to power the auxiliary systems such as the air conditioning or audio equipment. The overall result is a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 24g/km on the combined cycle. Torque can also be temporarily boosted by the UrbanHybrid system. Alongside the green technology Citroen also boasts that the C5 Airscape is able to deliver levels of performance similar to those of a four-wheel drive car via its new 'Snow Motion' traction control system. Few are likely to ever find out how well the C5 Airspace drives, but a similar system is likely to debut on the new C5 when it's launched in 2008.

And if it looks anything like the Airspace, Citroen could be onto a real winner.

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