Citroen Senna, why can it only be a legend?
Two months ago, Mr. Ru Ru saw a comment in the comment area of an article about Toyota Sienna that he pushed, saying, “It’s not Citroen Sienna (the correct spelling is? Sienna. Many people will confuse it, of course.” There is actually nothing wrong with the writing), negative review." I was surprised that there were still people who cared about this long-discontinued car, and I had the idea to write about the Citroën Sienna. I just put it off until now, and today I have to hand in my homework.
In the automotive industry, "Senna" has the most duplicate names.
With the name of Senna, what car first makes you think of it? Is it a Toyota Sienna that can be used as a nanny or as a business owner? Or the top track artifact McLaren Senna? In fact, in the 1990s, in addition to the car god Senna, there was also a car also called "Senna". People who know this car may accidentally reveal their age. It is the Citroën Senna from France (from now on we will use the official name as usual).
Those who can bear the name of Senna are not just ordinary people. Citroën Senna is no exception (although it has nothing to do with the car god Senna).
We push the timeline to the late 1990s. At that time, PSA Group planned to develop a replacement model for Citroen ZX (called Fukang in China). Because of the strong market performance of ZX, the replacement model XSARA (Senna) Naturally, many ZX technologies and design ideas are used.
We know that European streets are usually narrow, intricate, densely populated, and parking spaces are relatively tight. Therefore, compact models are at home here and are favored by the market.
As a European small car, the Senna naturally has the design essence of a European small car - it is very careful in the selection of wheelbase, length and body structure. It follows the ZX's wheelbase of 2540mm, and the body is on the ZX It has been lengthened to a certain extent, and multiple body versions such as 2-door, 4-door, and 5-door travel have been launched for different customer groups. The hatchback version is 4190mm long, while the station wagon version is 4370mm long. Power system matching includes 1.4L, 1.6L, 1.8L and 2.0L gasoline engines, and 1.6L, 1.9L and 2.0L turbocharged diesel engines.
In 1997, Senna went public. The following year, the Sienna won the Irish Car of the Year award.
Of course, the story really begins. It was the WRC that made Senna famous and became a legend.
In the early 1990s, the Subaru Blue Legion from Japan and the Mitsubishi Lancers began an era of competition between the two heroes. Dominating the WRC for ten years has caused European teams to lose face. Citroën, who had not been the big brother for many years, began to think about building a tank based on Senna that could compete in the WRC. In order to end the fear of being dominated by Japanese cars for a long time and maintain the dignity of European car manufacturers for a century, the Senna WRC was born.
The Citroën Senna WRC is equipped with a 2.0L turbocharged engine based on WRC regulations, which can output 300 horsepower at 5500 rpm, the maximum torque output is as high as 540 Nm, and the vehicle weight is only 1230kg. The Senna WRC has a very strong grip, precise and sharp steering, and a solid chassis, earning it the nickname "King of Asphalt".
Senna’s first WRC appearance was in 2001. At first, Senna’s mediocre WRC did not attract the attention of his opponents. As French driver Sanremo Sebastien Loeb officially became the driver of the Citroën team, this pair of "Bole and Maxima" officially kicked off Citroën's most glorious period in the WRC!
Two years later, this car quickly ushered in its highlight moment.
In early 2003, during the first Monte Carlo stage of the race, the track was covered with heavy snow, the icy road was very slippery, and the tire adhesion was significantly reduced. Driving on this kind of road surface, if you make a slight mistake, it can range from skidding to the side, or to a loss of control and a crash. However, the Senna tank ignored the extreme environment and weather, challenged the vehicle's limits in the ice and snow, tossed and turned, and took the top three places in this game in one breath, crushing many confident opponents with an absolute advantage. .
It was also from this time that the outside world really began to re-examine the former champion manufacturer that returned to WRC after many years and the inconspicuous Senna tank. Undoubtedly, no one dares not to take Citroën Senna seriously. Opponents began to pursue and intercept Senna WRC crazily on the field. However, Senna WRC seemed to be possessed by the god of war and became an insurmountable barrier for opponents.
Senna's overwhelming power seemed unstoppable at the time.
In the subsequent Turkish Station, German Station, Australian Station, and Italian Station, Senna showed extremely high limits and incomparable advantages, and made great progress all the way. The powerful roar of the engine, the high-pitched exhaust sound, and the tires stirring up the sand and gravel. The red Senna chariot caused great psychological shock to the opponents and completely conquered the fans and the audience, who cheered loudly. After a while.
The defending champion Peugeot driver Groholm said frustratedly: "Our goal is just to finish the race... We have no chance!"
In the end, the 2003 WRC The dust of the World Rally Championship has settled. Citroen Racing has returned to the top of the world with a total of 160 points, allowing the world to re-recognize the red elf-like Senna chariot, and also established the Senna chariot's role in world-class racing competitions. status and weight.
At this moment, all Senna owners can proudly shout: "We?are?champion!"
From 2004 to 2006, Loeb drove the Senna. The WRC Chariot Championship won 28 victories and won the world championship for three consecutive years. Citroën won the manufacturer's championship for three consecutive years from 2003 to 2005. Loeb successfully reached the top of the world and began his journey to win eight crowns. The Senna has also become one of the most classic and outstanding tanks in the history of WRC.
By the way, Loeb is the most famous driver driving the Senna WRC, but Sainz and Duval have also won races in the Senna. In the end, it is the heroes who create the era? Or did Senna make Loeb?
In any case, Senna is the king of rally cars who conquered the entire world!
Everyone who knows the automobile industry must know that Citroën was one of the first car manufacturers to enter our country. Fukang, which was built with the ZX as its prototype, was the earliest "old three" in China in the 1990s. As we all know, with Senna killing everyone in WRC, Citroën is also striking while the iron is hot, hoping to use its excellent performance on the field to enhance Citroën's brand influence and at the same time get a share of the civilian car market. So we planned to introduce the most popular Senna into the domestic market. In the spring of 2003, Citroen officially entered the Chinese market with the Senna and announced its domestic production.
The domestically produced Senna had many configurations and technologies that looked cool at the time. For example, the hatchback body design called "hatchback and a half" can be said to be unique in the domestic market at that time.
Although the Chinese may prefer a square and formal look like the Jetta, it has to be said that Fukang's best-selling model at one time was a hatchback rather than a sedan, so Senna's persistence also Giving consumers different choices.
At that time, the adoption of imported double-sided galvanized steel plates and weldless one-piece stamped doors could be said to be the cutting-edge technologies of an era, and these are still the mainstream car-making processes until now.
In addition, in terms of power system, the entire domestic Sienna series only provides a 132-horsepower 2.0L gasoline engine. This is mainly to avoid internal competition with Fukang due to the use of small-displacement engines. Broaden product positioning and price range.
What needs to be pointed out in particular is that the entire Senna series at that time was very conscientiously equipped with a trip computer. The central control display screen could display information such as average speed, fuel consumption, temperature, and even the door was not closed. hint. This was definitely a very advanced configuration at the time and was rarely seen on other models of the same level.
In addition, Senna also has a black technology, which is rear wheel follow-up steering. This is a "reserved item" of the older generation of French cars and a key point that car fans talk about. By the way, now everyone always complains that French cars like to use non-independent torsion beam rear suspension, but at that time, this Sienna used a serious trapezoid-guided swing arm independent rear suspension.
However, the reputation Senna accumulated on the court has not been well transferred to the civilian market.
From the beginning of its birth, Senna has encountered obstacles in the European market, and its sales have not improved and are tepid. And Senna's trip to China was not smooth either.
The year when Senna entered the country was the year when Senna became king in WRC, but it was also the beginning of the domestic automobile market’s awakening and its rapid development. It is undeniable that Senna is approaching the end of its life cycle at this time. Facing its old Fukang and new model Elysee, Senna has not distanced itself from them in terms of appearance and interior.
At the same time, the high price also distances the Senna from ordinary consumers. Even those fans find it difficult to pay for the sentiment, although everyone knows the Senna's handling, solid chassis and The attention to detail in every detail is indeed extraordinary. For ordinary consumers, the most intuitive perception is that this car has the same wheelbase as Fukang, similar size, and looks like a mid-term facelift of Fukang. It is twice as expensive as Fukang. What's more, the prices of competitors are also The competition is cheaper, such as golf with the same positioning.
Due to the collapse in sales, the life cycle of the Senna quickly ended. Although domestic production continued until 2006, it was basically struggling to survive.
At the 2004 Paris International Auto Show, PSA Group released the successor to the Senna, the Citroen C4, which was officially launched in November 2004. At this point, the Senna was gradually replaced by the Citroen C4 on a global scale.
In less than a year, global sales of C4 reached 277,000 units. It can be said to be a huge success. It also shows from the side that Senna is indeed very honest.
What is gratifying is that the WRC chariot built by Citroën based on the C4 inherited Senna's excellent performance on the field. It has made great contributions to the Citroën team by winning the championship for several consecutive years.
Although Senna has withdrawn from the stage of history, its legend still continues on the C4? WRC tank.
Like Senna, C4 was introduced into China relatively late. In 2008, Citroen put the C4 five-door hatchback version that had just completed a mid-term facelift into production in China, naming it Citroen Sega.
During the Senna period, this product line also had a derivative MPV model, the Sara Picasso. Different from the fate of the Senna, the Picasso is the MPV model with the largest market share in France, and the discontinuation of production was several years later than the Senna.
As one of the first car brands to seek gold in the Chinese market, the French's insistence on self-centered design and product positioning could indeed capture a group of fans in the early days. However, as times have changed, Citroën has never been able to do so. With a finger on the pulse of the Chinese market, models with high hopes also died one after another.
As the last batch of old French cars, Senna has begun to show signs of fatigue since its birth. This is a bad time.
Senna has witnessed an era of alternation between old and new. This is a model that marks the end of an era. It can be said that changes in the external market environment and iterations of competitors have made Senna doomed from the beginning. It's a sad car.
The death of a hero is the most helpless tragedy in the world, and it is this kind of sadness that is even more regrettable.
Although the life cycle of the Sienna was short, it laid the foundation for the success of the successor model C4 to a certain extent. It can be said that without Senna's persistence and transition, there may not be a continuation of C4's persistence movement. Even that flash of red like a shooting star is enough to become a legend and be remembered by others.
This is a memory and a legend that belongs to a generation.
------------------------------------------------ ----------------
Hundreds of thousands of car lovers have gathered here. If you want to learn about cars, join us. For more exciting information, please follow the WeChat official account. Cartracks (directly enter cartracks or long press to copy the WeChat ID cartracks) is waiting for you!
This article is from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.