But that move should not affect the launch of the new C3 XTR, which is aimed at the smaller user-chooser market.

The latest addition to the C3 range is built for user-choosers living an 'active lifestyle', according to Citroen's publicity bumph and with the XTR, Citroen has strayed away from the traditional sleek colour- coded bodywork in favour of a more rugged look.

The XTR has a mannish kind of styling, rugged and chunky with a large black grille, black bumpers, wheel arch extensions and side skirts.

Additional chunky roofbars deck the top of the XTR, each with central aluminium sections which can be detached and locked transversally to transport loads of up to 60kg, such as mountain bikes and snowboards.

An electric glass sunroof, 15-inch alloy wheels and foglamps all come as standard.

The XTR is available with two powerplants, a new 90bhp 1.4i 16v petrol engine with SensoDrive transmission at £11,795 and a 92bhp 1.4HDi 16v diesel with manual transmission.

I tested the diesel version and it proved ideal for nipping round cities and country roads, although once up to the higher end of the speedo there was quite a bit of noise both from the tyres and engine.

The XTR offers a fun drive and steering is light, adding to that city appeal.

Citroen is continuing with the sporty theme by expanding its SensoDrive system across the range. It claims the average age of a SensoDrive motorist is 33 compared with 38 for a manual driver.

Since the introduction of paddle shift gearing, the initial complaints about jerkiness between gearchanges on early models seem to have been remedied.

Transmission is silky smooth, with no holdback when switching up or down and much more fun than a standard gearshift.

For those who prefer an even easier ride, there is a fully automatic model.

Inside the cabin, Citroen hasn't scrimped on specification. It features new two-tone upholstery, two-tone dashboard and aluminium effect fittings, variable power steering, electric door mirrors, CD player, guide-you-home headlamps, electric front windows and trip computer as standard.

A child pack is also fitted as standard on the XTR and includes aircraft-style trays on the back of the front seats and a secondary rear view mirror.

A quirky digital speedometer and half-moon shaped rev counter gives the dash a contemporary feel, which is continued through the car with two-tone fabrics and aluminium effect fittings.

For environmentally- conscious fleets, both versions of the XTR offer respectable combined fuel economy figures of 47mpg for the petrol and 66mpg for the diesel.

This means fleets with active drivers don't have to have active fuel card bills too.