Citroën is looking to take on the rally circuit with its new DS3 R3, homologated for FIA’s new Group R3T regulations. As a result the DS3 R3 looks similar to the standard production hatch but features a welded, multi-point roll cage with more than 45 metres of steel tubing to improve chassis resilience and safety for its passengers.

The Citroën DS3 R3 Rally car comes with an upgraded 1,6-litre turbocharged inline-four, producing 157 kW and 350 N.m of peak torque. This is an improvement of 47 kW and 110 N.m over the standard production DS3, thanks to a high pressure turbo and specific racing parts, including air filter, camshaft, connecting rods, pistons, flywheel and exhaust.

As with the French carmaker’s hardcore C4 WRC, the DS3 R3 is equipped with a six-speed sequential transmission (a first for a customer-racing product), which the company claims allows for gear changes to be made twice as quickly as a traditional manual gearbox.

Since its first outing at the end of August in 2009, Citroën Racing has completed more than 10 000 km in development testing, split evenly across different road surfaces. The suspension has been redesigned and upgraded to make full use of the Group R regulations, allowing for a wide variety of setup options. Citroën says the suspension is suited to all road surfaces, from smooth tarmac to rough gravel. Rally-spec alloy wheels and a reworked braking system are also part of the package.

Citroën is yet to announce pricing for the DS3 R3, simply saying it will be available for “an affordable price” before its rallying debut at the end of 2010.