Citroen’s highly secretive security system is recognised by Thatcham

According to the latest government figures, some 200,000 cars are stolen in the UK annually, which might explain why a highly secretive identification system operated by Citroen has received the Innovation Award at the 2007 British Insurance Car Security Awards (BICSA) organised by Thatcham – The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre.

The Citroen Vehicle Identification System (CVIS) is so confidential that specific details of its operation can not be made public and are only available to the Police Authorities and the Insurance industry. Reassuringly, however, every new Citroen is ‘equipped’ as standard with this unique anti-crime defence.

The system combines both overt and covert marking, allowing rapid vehicle identification to law enforcement agencies without the need for a third party service provider. This ensures robust information for the police to act upon and is totally reliable if used as evidence in court.

Four more security awards from Thatcham...

On top of this, a further four honours have been bestowed upon Citroen by the internationally respected experts from Thatcham – the total of five is the most won by one manufacturer in a single year. The Company has now scooped an unprecedented ten security accolades since the British Insurance Car Security Awards were launched just four years ago.

The C3 has continued its dominance of the City/Supermini category, winning for the fourth consecutive year, with the C4 collecting its third title in the Small Family category. New Citroen entrants this year included the luxury C6 saloon and innovative C4 Picasso, both of which took top spot in their respective Executive and Compact MPV categories.

... and a Manufacturer of the Year Safety Award from Brake!

In a separate development, Citroen has also been named Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year by road safety charity Brake, in recognition of its work on pedestrian and passenger safety. Further highlighting the Company’s success in the realms ofboth security and safety, this is the second year running that the Company has been awarded the coveted honour in the Brake Fleet Safety Forum Awards for Excellence.

Xavier Duchemin, managing director of Citroen UK Ltd, commented: “These latest awards emphatically prove that Citroen is offering car buyers some of the safest and most secure vehicles available today. As a result, customers not only benefit from the added reassurance that this provides, but also money-saving, ultra-low insurance ratings.

In particular Citroen’s domination of the popular City/Supermini and Small Family carcategories, combined with the news that our brand new C4 Picasso has also won in its sector, all serve to further reinforce Citroen’s first class security credentials.”