It's a car!

Automotive Design & Production, Feb, 2005

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Toyota announce the birth of triplets, two French and one Japanese. The March 2005 Geneva Motor Show will mark the official announcement, with sales to start soon thereafter, but the proud parents couldn't resist sharing preliminary details with the public.

The trio will be built at the joint Toyota Peugeot Citroen Automobile (TPCA) plant in Kolin, Czech Republic. Annual capacity is 300,000 vehicles, with Toyota taking 100,000. Power comes from either a 1.0-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine or a 1.4-liter diesel. The parents say their children will play exclusively in Europe, where the entry-level minicar segment is growing. Vacations are out of the question as the birthing process--including R & D and start-up costs--is estimated to have cost [euro]1.5 billion.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

VEHICLE      LENGTH       WIDTH        HEIGHT

Peugeot 107  3428 mm      1630 mm      1470 mm
             (134.9 in.)  (64.2 in.)   (57.9 in.)
Toyota Aygo  3405 mm      1615 mm      1465 mm
             (134.0 in.)  (63.6 in.)   (57.7 in.)
Citroen C1   3429 mm      1630 mm      1470 mm
             (135.0 in.)  (64.2 in.)   (57.9 in.)