While Citroen Basalt is a step in the right direction, the French brand has a challenging journey ahead to crack tricky Indian market
The French carmaker, Citroen, has come up with a new strategy of significantly undercutting rivals to make room for sales. Just launched Citroen Basalt is a stark example of this strategy. Starting at Rs 7.99 lakh (Ex-sh, introductory), Basalt does undercut compact SUVs and even a few sub 4m SUVs. But what about the top-end variant price?
Citroen Basalt Turbo Petrol AT Max Price
Rs. 7.99 lakh (Ex-sh) for a compact SUV is a disruptive price strategy. For context, a sub 4m SUV like Maruti Suzuki Brezza starts from Rs 8.34 lakh (Ex-sh). Even though the prices are introductory and are due to change soon, we wish Citroen continues to carry the same price to maintain steady sales.
Aggressive pricing is the greatest weapon in Citroen Basalt’s arsenal. As of now, only the base entry-level pricing (introductory) has been revealed. While exact trim lineup and the price range is under the wraps. However, a few keen eyes have spotted Citroen Basalt top-end variant price tag displayed on Citroen India website.
Citroen Basalt 1.2P Turbo AT Max seems to be the top-end variant and it has been priced at Rs 13.57 lakh (Ex-sh, introductory). Even the top-end variant’s pricing is undercutting every single one of its rival compact SUVs and even a few sub 4m SUVs.
For the price, Citroen Basalt poses the size advantage and it has one of the longest wheelbase in compact SUV space as well. Boot space is quite substantial too and is among the best in segment (on paper). Apart from size advantage, there is the quirky design taking the shape of a coupe SUV, which seems to be in trend these days.
What does it lack?
Even though Citroen packs quite a few goodies, it is one of the, if not, the poorest when it comes to equipment and features list. That is quite ironic, considering Citroen Basalt is hailed as the one that introduced a lot of new features into Citroen’s lineup.
The new features with Basalt are LED projector headlights, auto climate control, semi-leatherette seats, under-thigh adjustment for rear passengers, electrically folding ORVMs, front and rear armrests. But when compared to its sibling C3 Aircross, Basalt misses out on rear washer and wiper (owing to its coupe roofline) and it also offers smaller 16-inch alloy wheels with lower ground clearance.
Missing features
When compared to every single one of its compact SUV rivals and sub 4m SUV rivals, Citroen Basalt offers bare-minimum features. Some of the missing features on Citroen Basalt are,
1. Auto-dimming IRVM
2. Cornering lights
3. LED tail lights
4. Keyless entry
5. Push-button start
6. India’s favourite panoramic sunroof
7. Front parking sensors
8. 360-degree camera
9. ADAS features
10. Telescopic steering adjustment
11. Passive boot opening
12. Cooled glovebox
13. Powered driver’s seat
14. Ventilated seats
15. Navigation in instrument screen
16. Electric tailgate
17. Rear disc brakes
18. Flush door handles
19. Auto headlights
20. Rain-sensing wipers
Apart from these missing features on the surface, there are more. While Citroen started offering 6 airbags with Basalt, the company has proven poor crash safety as seen in Global NCAP crash test rating of India-spec eC3. Latin-spec eC3 and C3 ICE have scored 0 Stars in Latin NCAP crash tests as well. Basalt is yet to be crash tested.
Also read – Citroen sales decline to 339 units in June 2024 with 4 cars on offer