Citroen will officially enter into the Indian auto market with the C5 Aircross mid-sized SUV. The company will start rolling out locally developed products from the second half of 2021. Citroen is reportedly planning to launch 4 new cars (excluding C5 Aircross) by 2023. The first locally produced product will be a sub-4 meter SUV, internally called the Citroen CC21.
The company is also working on a mid-sized SUV, project CC24, which is reportedly to be launched in 2022. A new media report claims that the Citroen CC24 production will start in June 2022. Citroen is aiming to produce around 2,200 units of the new mid-sized SUV a month. This SUV will be positioned against the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and others in its segment.
The report also claims that the third Citroen product will be an all-new mid-sized sedan. Codenamed CC26, the new sedan will rival the likes of the Hyundai Verna and the Honda City. This could also mark the re-introduction of the iconic Ambassador nameplate. For people not in the know, Groupe PSA had acquired the Ambassador brand from Hindustan Motors for 80 crores. It was reported that the company could use the Ambassador nameplate exclusively for electric vehicles to be sold in India only.
The company is also preparing a mini electric SUV, which is rumoured to be priced under Rs 10 lakh. The Citroen CC24 will be based on the new CMP platform, which will underpin the C21 compact SUV. The new model is likely to share the styling cues from the C4 Cactus, which is on sale in the International markets.
The Citroen CC24 is expected to be offered in petrol version only. It is likely to be powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with power output close to 130bhp. The company could also plan to introduce the hybrid version of the SUV to meet the real-world driving emission tests that come into effect in 2023.
