It was reported that Citroen will start rolling out locally developed product in our market in the second half of 2021. However, a new media report claims that the launch of the new locally developed product will take place in 2022. The company will first launch a sub-4 meter SUV, codenamed C21. It is reportedly to be called the Citroen C3 in India.
Brazilian media reports that the Citroen C3 global debut will take place in September 2021. It will first go on sale in Brazil, followed by India in early 2022. Saurabh Vatsa, Citroen Brand Head India said that the company will stick to its original plan of launching 1 new car a year in India.
The Citroen C3 compact SUV has been spotted testing several times in India. The SUV will be designed and developed on the highly-localised CMP (Common Modular Platform). It is basically the simplified version of the Peugeot’s CMP platform that underpins the 208 hatchback. This platform is flexible enought to accommodate different body styles including SUVs, sedans and hatchbacks. Adding to it, the platform is compatible with multiple powertrain options such as hybrid, petrol and electric.
The Citroen C3 is expected to be powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which can produce up to 130bhp of power. Both manual and automatic gearbox options will be on offer. It is rumoured to come with a flex-fuel system, which will feature a 1.2L petrol engine with ethanol blends starting from 27% to entirely on the biofuel. The company believes that the small SUV could give Citroen a first-mover advantage in the flexi-fuel space in India.
Jeep is also developing a sub-4 meter SUV, which will also share the platform and engine-gearbox combination with the Citroen C3. The new Citroen compact SUV will be produced at the brand’s factory in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, while the Jeep’s compact SUV will be produced at the FCA’s Ranjangaon facility.
Source – Carandbike
