A newly restyled Citroën C3 will debut at 2013 Geneva Show

Yet more sneak peeks and news of exciting unveiling's taking place soon at the upcoming 2013 Geneva Motor Show have arisen this week. This time Citroën announced that the world premiere of their newly restyled C3 is to commence at the March motor show.

The C3 model originally launched in 2002 and has since gone on to see sales reach nearly 3 million. Not bad for the French compact supermini. Citroën has given the C3's exterior a makeover of sorts by restyling the front end to create a new ‘face’ with updated chevrons and bumper-mounted LED daytime running lights, new tail light clusters, and offering a new Ink blue body paint which now expands the range’s palette to a total of nine colours available to choose from.

As for the inside, the cabin will retain top-quality craftsmanship and materials, plus include chrome detailing and a thermo-coated soft-touch dashboard. In addition, the instrument cluster will be backlit in white for a contemporary look and easier-to-read driving information.

So what makes the C3 a desirable compact option? Some of the most important factors for me in considering a smaller more economical vehicle are the fuel consumption –does it offer good mileage and how spacious/comfortable it feels. The C3 gets good marks for both. Citroën say the VTi 68 and VTi 82 PureTech engines achieve impressively low fuel consumption, between 62.8 and 65.7mpg, and CO₂ emissions between 99 and 104g/km. According to Citroën’s recent press release, the PureTech petrol engines offer 15% power increase & 25% cut in fuel consumption. As for the proportions of the C3, it comes in at 3.94m long & 1.71m wide - with a 10.8m turning circle and a large 300-litre boot. I think this is plenty of room for both a city driver to enjoy and practical enough for a small family to feel comfortable in.

Providing even more useful options and gadgets, the new Citroën C3 is available with a reversing camera and parking sensors, together with equipment such as an RD4 MP3 audio system, Connecting Box (Bluetooth^® hands-free kit, jack plug and USB socket), eMyWay navigation and a powerful HiFi System^®.

Citroën haven't released pricing information ahead of the debut, but have said that we can expect to see the C3 become available in the UK by early summer 2013. I'm looking forward to the Geneva Show and will keep my eye out for more details on the new Citroën C3 as they are released.