Citroën is to launch a second generation of its pioneering Stop & Start technology.

Previewed on a striking pearlescent white and orange C3 Picasso at the Paris Motor Show, the new micro-hybrid system will be introduced in 2010 and will be available on a range of petrol and diesel models.

The special show car offers even better economy than the standard model with almost 70mpg on the combined cycle as well as low CO2 emissions of just 110g/km thanks to the new Stop & Start technology and a six-speed electronic gearbox system. When the new C3 Picasso is launched in 2009, diesel versions will be fitted with a Particulate Filter System and will meet the company’s new low-emissions criteria.

The company says the new-generation Stop & Start system will retain the combined alternator-starter unit, which provides quiet, smooth and almost instantaneous restarts, and will produce even better fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.  Improving the system’s environmental performance further, the new generation Stop & Start will also recover energy during braking and deceleration to recharge the vehicle’s battery without consuming fuel.

Citroën has also embarked on a new project to look into the feasibility of producing an ultra-environmentally friendly vehicle based on the C-Cactus concept car.

Removing features that are non-essential to the running of the car or the comfort and safety of the occupants — even doing away with the dashboard — has resulted in an interior comprising about half the parts of a similarly-sized conventional car.

The door panels are made of just two parts, compared to 12 in a conventional car and many components are made from recycled materials.