THE Citroen C5 Aircross range is being expanded with the introduction of a mlld-hybrid powertrain that is claimed to improve fuel economy by up to 30 per cent around town.

The C5 Aircross Hybrid 136 features a specially designed PureTech petrol engine, a new electrified dual-clutch e-DCS6 gearbox and a 21kW electric motor.

Citroen says the new model will be priced similarly to the C5 Aircross diesel model and the newcomer emits almost 12 per cent less CO2 than the diesel-powered version.

The powertrain uses a 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech petrol engine hooked up to a 48-volt battery system that powers an electric motor giving the C5 Aircross Hybrid 136 a total output of 135bhp - some six bhp more than the non-hybrid model.

The car can run purely on electric power for very short periods and overall Citroen is claiming a 15 per cent overall reduction in emissions compared with the PureTech 130 EAT8 automatic petrol version.

The newcomer is rated officially at 129g/km CO2 while other performance data is still to be announced.

With the electric motor delivering the equivalent of an extra 12bhp, Citroen says that acceleration is slightly improved and with the battery slung below the front passenger seat interior room is unaffected.

The C5 Aircross Hybrid 136 comes with its own digital instrument panel which includes information about the electrical operation.

The car is due on the road this summer and although prices are still to be confirmed they are expected to be in line with the diesel model which costs from around £30,400.