Interviewed at the international launch of the Citroën C4 Cactus in Amsterdam, the project manager has named key suppliers to the new model.
Speaking exclusively to just-auto.com, Chef de Projet Anne Ruthmann says the car’s most instantly recognisable innovation, its exterior Airbumps, are supplied by REHAU. The polymer specialist uses a BASF Coatings elastic material for the car’s four doors. Each air-filled TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) group of capsules protects the sides of the C4 Cactus from minor dents, such as doors opened onto the car, or supermarket trolleys rolling into it. On the media event, journalists were encouraged to press the Airbumps as hard as they could, or even kick them – no damage was sustained.
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Airbumps can be colour coded to the car’s 10 paintwork choices, with four shades available.
Muri, Switzerland-based REHAU developed the Airbump panels at its Morhange R&D centre in north-eastern France. The company supplies the door panelling for the C4 Cactus including Airbumps from its Spanish site in Tortosa. These are delivered directly to PSA’s Villaverde plant. Initial production commenced in April, with the line now ramping up to 380 cars a day. France is the first market, with the new model being rolled out across Europe in the coming months. The first vehicles for Britain and Ireland will reach showrooms in October.
A full interview with C4 Cactus project manager Anne Ruthmann will be published on just-auto.com in the coming days. Other discussion points are manufacturing at Villaverde, as well as the names of the suppliers of other innovations such as the Magic Wash windscreen cleaning system, the giant 120-litre ceiling-mounted passenger airbag and the glass roof system.
