PSA Peugeot Citroen has today unveiled its new Stop & Start system, which automatically turns off a car’s engine when it comes to a standstill.

Jean-Martin Folz, CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën, unveiled the concept in Paris.

The Stop & Start system sees the engine go into standby mode when the vehicle is stopped at taffic lights or to give way. The engine instantly starts up again when the brake pedal is released, with the vehicle pulling away once the accelerator is pressed.

The Citroën C3 1.4i 16V Stop & Start, which will be rolled out in early November, will be the first mass-produced car equipped with this system. It will be combined with the SensoDrive electronically controlled manual gearbox, already available in the C3. The new system will gradually be extended to other Citroën and Peugeot vehicles.

The Stop & Start system has reduced fuel consumption by 10% for city driving, 6% in a standard combined cycle and up to 15% in heavy traffic. CO2 emissions are reduced by a similar proportion.

PSA Peugeot Citroën produced the Stop & Start system as part of its strategy of developing new technologies to combat the greenhouse effect by reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while enhancing drivability. More than 500,000 vehicles that emit less than 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre have already been sold by the group, with a target of 1.7 million by 2006.