France · French commercial-van launch specification · July 1996

Citroën Berlingo Van 1.4i

Citroën stopped adding a box to the back of a family car and designed the whole little van as one roomy shape from the beginning.

Trucks and utility

This is a generation-representative first-generation pre-facelift Berlingo passenger version, not a verified July 1996 French launch van. The source does not establish year, market, 1.4i powertrain or commercial body.

Exterior front three-quarter view · Photo shows This is a generation-representative first-generation pre-facelift Berlingo passenger version, not a verified July 1996 French launch van. The source does not establish year, market, 1.4i powertrain or commercial body.. Same first-generation design family; year, market, passenger/commercial body and powertrain are unverified or different.
First-generation pre-facelift Citroën Berlingo representative · M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0

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A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.

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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

The first Berlingo commercial van launched in July 1996 with a one-box body designed as a van from the outset. That was different from older small vans built by grafting a cargo cube onto a sedan. This page follows the French 1.4i petrol launch van; the passenger-focused Berlingo Multispace followed in January 1997, so its rear seats and family-car story stay separate.

Look a little closer.

Three playful 1996 concept cars—the beachy Coupé de Plage, tall Berline Bulle and Grand Large—showed how many different lives the same basic idea could support.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

Van first, Multispace later

Citroën launched the commercial Berlingo in July 1996. The more car-like Multispace passenger version did not arrive until January 1997, so an original launch van should not be illustrated or described as a five-seat Multispace.

Source: Citroën Media · Berlingo 30-year history ↗

A purpose-built little box

The first Berlingo offered up to 3 m³ of load volume and an 800 kg payload while aiming for sedan-like comfort. Its integrated roofline and cab were designed together rather than as a separate cargo body attached to an existing hatchback.

Source: Citroën Media · Berlingo 30-year history ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.

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