Citroen India has shared an official teaser of their upcoming small UV which will make global debut on 16th Sep
French automaker, Citroen entered India with the C5 AirCross earlier this year. It is offered in two variants of Feel and Shine priced at Rs.29.90 lakhs and Rs.30.40 lakhs respectively. This is a CKD product, and serves a premium segment. Now the company is getting ready to launch their entry-level, made in India small SUV – for the mass market.
Citroen C3 For India
In terms of looks, the Citroen mini SUV for India is expected to look similar to the C3 SUV from Europe, however it will be shorter in comparison. As far as the platform is concerned, Citroen has confirmed that it will design the SUV on an India-specific platform and not on C3’s original platform. This platform is versatile for varying body types – compact SUV, hatchback or sedan and suited for varying engine options be it electrical or hybrid.
Citroen is globally known to come up with relatively unconventional designs and the Indian product isn’t expected to be any different. The teaser shared by Citroen, gives a glimpse at the front design, which is quite similar to the leaked prototype. It gets a distinctive front fascia sporting a chrome front grille and split headlamps.
On the inside, it gets a multi-function 3 spoke steering wheel, free standing touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone connectivity, a digital instrument cluster and automatic AC. It also has push button start/stop feature, powered ORVMs, reverse camera, rear AC vents and cruise control.
Engine Options
As far as powertrain options are concerned, there is no official update. Speculations suggest that there are 3 engine options to be on offer. In the petrol line-up, a 3-cylinder 1.2 litre engine will be offered in two states of tune, naturally aspirated version producing 83hp and a turbocharged variant churning out 110hp. It will be the first car in India to support flex fuel.
Surprisingly (as most OEMs are moving away from small diesel engines), there could be a 1.5 litre diesel unit as well. To begin with, a manual transmission will be offered as standard, however an automatic gearbox is expected to be added in the lineup in the future.
High Localization Levels
Citroen is planning for very high localization level for the SUV, around 90-95%, which it believes will help it to have an aggressive starting ex-showroom price of around Rs 6 lakhs. This new SUV will be made for India and in India, but will also be exported to various other countries, with Latin America likely to be the primary market (outside India).
The company is also planning to launch a low-cost EV which is expected to arrive by 2022. Once launched, the new Citroen C3 will take on the likes of Maruti Ignis and the upcoming Tata Punch.
