Upcoming Citroen C3 will take on cars in the price range of Rs 5-10 lakh ex-sh
Moving ahead with its plans for Indian market, Citroen has unveiled its second product for India today. It is a sub-4-meter car, which is inspired by SUV design. It is named C3. Citroen C3 for India will be made at the company plant in India. Thanks to high localization levels, it will come at a very aggressive price at launch.
Citroen is not calling their C3 an SUV, but they said that it is SUV inspired. It will rival cars in the Rs 5-10 lakh range. This includes a lot of cars. From Maruti Swift, Ignis, Mahindra KUV100 to the likes of sub 4m SUVs like Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Tata Nexon, etc.
Citroen C3 design and features
Just like other cars in this space, Citroen C3 will have a sporty look and feel. In comparison to C5 Aircross, C3 has a completely different profile. Some key features include large trapezoidal headlamps, trendy DRLs in unique design format, prominent mesh grille and sleek air dam. Fog lamp casing is outlined in contrasting shade, which enhances the sporty character.
Citroen C3 has thick body cladding all around. Prominent body side moulding with contrasting styling bits work to enhance the its side profile. The SUV also gets sporty dual-tone machined alloy wheels. At the rear, the SUV has a large bumper with skid plate in metallic shade. The tailgate has the Citroen logo in black. Tail lamps are wraparound units, with a significant portion stretching to the side of the car.
It is expected that C3 will be available in single tone and dual-tone colour options. Dual-tone variants will have blacked-out A, B and C pillars. The contrasting shade will be used on the roof, rear view mirrors, and styling elements on the body side moulding. In addition, Citroen will offer customization options which will allow buyers to personalize their car. Official accessories will also be on offer.
Citroen C3 engine
Powering Citroen C3 could be a 1.2 litre petrol engine. Transmission options will include 5-speed manual and automatic. It is not certain if diesel motor will be on offer with C3. One of the interesting things about C3 is that it will be the first car in India to get flex-fuel engine.
It will be capable of using petrol as well as ethanol-blended fuel. At a time when petrol prices are continuously on the rise, an SUV with flex-fuel engine can get preference from customers. The flex-fuel engine makes C3 future-proof. As may be recalled, the government has outlined plans to achieve 10% ethanol blending by 2022 and double that by 2030.
The positive aspect is that customers in this segment are willing to try something new. This has been evident with other newer products such as Venue, Sonet, Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. With its unique design and sporty looks, Citroen C3 could emerge as another bestseller in this space.
While A5 Aircross established Citroen as a premium car brand in the Indian market, C3 will have the additional responsibility of bringing in high sale volumes. This segment already seems overcrowded, making it tough to crack. To make it more attractive for customers, Citroen can launch C3 at an introductory starting price which is very aggressive. The company is using high level of localization for C3, which has helped reduce production costs.
