Based entirely on the Peugeot 106, the 1996 Citroen Saxo was a small-segment vehicle built in large numbers, in three and five doors versions. After years of weak presence in Europe on the small market, the Saxo came up and saved the day. Even though it was the same vehicle as its sibling brother, the Peugeot 106, the Saxo had better success. Interestingly, the 106 was based on the previous Citroen AX, which was developed to be a Talbot, but never made it to the production version. The 1996 Saxo styling made it more appealing to the younger generation. Its front fascia featured rectangular headlights, with separate, clear turn signals mounted on the corners. The grille featured two narrow horizontal gaps to help to cool the engine. Citroen learned the hard way what a completely masked grille did to a water-cooled engine on the previous non-facelifted AX. On its sides, the five-door version featured black door-handles and mirrors. The carmaker showed the trim level on the front door's black plastic molding, which protected the bodywork from parking door-scratches. The interior had a wide range of options. It didn't even have central locking for the base version, but there were bucket seats, air conditioning, and nice stereo systems on the top models. In the rear, the carmaker mounted a folding bench to expand the otherwise small trunk from 280 liters (9.9 cu-ft) to 953 liters (33.6 cu-ft). In the five-door version, the Saxo offered a choice of four engines, gasoline or diesel. All versions were paired to a five-speed manual, and the 1.6-liter version was available with a three-speed automatic gearbox.