At the Textiles Show ("Salone dei Tessuti" - Milan, Italy 4-10 April 2006) Citroen and Kartell, the Italian design furniture company, are presenting a special version of the C3 Pluriel model. This stylistic study is the result of a partnership aimed at "defining a new lifestyle."

In addition to the two C3 on display, visitors can follow the development process by means of samples, prototypes, drawings, 3d animations and movies, in an evocative staging prepared by Ferruccio Laviani, Kartell Art Director.

As a modular vehicle, the Citroen C3 Pluriel is an ideal vehicle for special customizations and exclusive editions. Kartell, a leading company in furniture design, has created two versions, one being the "negative" of the second one, using the "red Kartell" and black colors.

The main stylistic elements of the exterior are the removable arches and front and rear fascias, that use a halftone pattern for the red-black transition.

To create this special edition, Kartell designers took advantage of the Company's know-how in surface treatments, screen printing, chromatic tones and plastics technologies.

The dedicated microsite (in Italian) contains an interesting video about the development of these graphical elements, from the hand drawings to the CAD models, to the robotized paint process (see below for some screenshots).

(Source: Citroen via VirtualCar)