One of the definers of what a comfortable car was supposed to be like back in the 20th century, Citroen, is coming back to redefine their definition.
The French automaker offered various car reporters a preview of what they are calling the Citroen Advanced Comfort programme. This new program consists of a new suspension, comfort and noise suppression system that has been kept a secret from outsiders up to now and already has about 30 new patents to its name.
The company’s engineers say that the whole concept of comfortability has shifted from the sole focus of how a car rides along bumpy roads. Other factors such as cabin ambience, seat support, outside noise and the stress reduction factors are now just as important as customers continue to vie for the best product. These factors now stand on the same pedestal as suspension and dampers and how they function in keeping a car’s body from bouncing up and down.
Back in 1955 when the company debuted their original hydropneumatic suspension system on the DS vehicle, the technology was nothing short of revolutionary. The technology was able to give customers the best smooth ride, because of its ability to use a hydraulic action which would then compress air, rather than the conventional use of springs at that time.
The ride was guaranteed to be smooth and bump free regardless of the road surface the car was in. Thanks to the technology, the DS car was highly used in rallying and is still present 60 years from that time. The cars are still being used in the filming of horse racing or for fast moving action and places where the terrain is noticeably uneven.
And with the new system that Citroen wants to launch, it picks up right from where it left off. It will even be better with the added technology of today and with the company’s attempts to respond to the driving conditions which need to be met this day. Traditional components are added into the system such as shock absorbers and springs and also includes two hydraulic cushions and one each at the end of each absorber. This is where normally movement stops are found.
These help to cancel out the extremes in the system such as stops and doesn’t let the energy of the suspension travel. The system has been produced for mass production which will be highly accepted by the general public. The technology will feature in cars as early as this September.
