The French automobile manufacturer Citroen entered the Indian car market with the C5 Aircross, an SUV that was aimed at a niche crowd. Because of the way the Aircross was priced, Citroen was limited to the luxury car market. Now, it seems that it is all set to enter India’s mass market, one of the most competitive car markets in the world.
Citroen will be launching its C3 in India on the 20th of July. The C3 was launched globally in September 2021. Citroen will be making the new India bound C3 entirely in India at the CK Birla Group’s Tamil Nadu facility, which will allow them to launch the car at a very competitive price.
Despite its tall boy design and boxy dimensions, Citroen has refused to label the car an SUV and is actually going with the correct nomenclature of a crossover.
The India bound C3 is not that radically different from its international counterpart, at least in design. Potential customers will still get a funky and charming design with the bulky front end, chunky fenders, and, if they opt for it, an orange contrast-coloured roof.
The C3 will be launched in India with two trim variants, Live & Feel. Potential customers also get to choose between two engines. The one that we know of is a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, that produces about 110bhp, and 190Nm of torque.
There are chances of Citroen to bring in another engine, that will be slightly underpowered. It will be a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine that is capable of producing 82bhp of maximum power and 115 Nm of peak torque.
As for the transmission, we are likely to see a 5 or 6-speed manual as well as a 7-speed DCT unit. The DCT unit will most likely be reserved for the turbocharged engine.
In India, it will be going up against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Tata Punch, Renault Kiger and the Nissan Magnite. In some ways, it will also be taking on the Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.
Industry experts are speculating that the base variant, with the lower level trim, will start at around Rs 6-8 Lakhs, and will go up from that depending on the trim and the engine and transmission option one goes for.
Because Citroen will be using up to 90 per cent localised parts for the C3, the auto manufacturer will be in a great position to price the car in a very competitive manner.
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