Citroen has officially announced that the much-awaited new Citroen C3 compact SUV will make global debut on September 16, 2021. Codenamed CC21, the C3 will be Citroen’s first mass-market model for the Indian market. It will be sold in select emerging markets including the South American region.
The new Citroen C3 compact SUV will be produced simultaneously in India as well as in South America. It is scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2022. The production of the SUV will commence in late December this year. According to a report published by AutoCarIndia, Citroen India is aiming to produce around 33,000 units of the new Citroen C3 compact SUV in a year, which is 2,750 units a month.
It will be manufactured at the Thiruvallue plant. Stellantis has already announced to increase the production capacity in phases to 1 lakh units a year. Citroen currently sells the C5 Aircross through its 10 outlets in India. The company will increase the dealership count in near future. Similar to the C5 Aircross, the C3 compact SUV is also expected to be sold online.
The Citroen C3 compact SUV has already been leaked online via scale model images. Design of the car is influenced by Citroen’s global SUVs including the C3 Aircross and the C5 Aircross. The front fascia features the signature wide grille, flanked by dual-layer headlamps that looks similar to the one offered on the new C5. It features a flat bonne and an angular windshield, a flat roof, black plastic cladding, blacked-out pillars, orange treatmen on the bumper and roof, and dual-tone diamond cut alloys.
The cabin of the SUV is expected to be equipped with host of comfort and convenience features. The spy images reveal that the SUV will get a free-standing touchscreen infotainment system, which will come with smartphone connectivity options. Other features are likely to include automatic air-conditioning, an electric sunroof, a 12.3-inch digital instrument console, an 8-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, multi-functional steering wheel, etc.
The new Citroen C3 will be designed and developed on the new CMP (Common Modular Platform). It is basically the simplified version of the Peugeot 208’s platform, which also underpins the Peugeot 2008 SUV. The new Citroen C3 compact SUV will be powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which can produce up to 130bhp of power. A 5-speed manual gearbox will come as standard, while a DCT automatic gearbox could join the line-up at a later stage. The Citroen CC21 could be the first model in India to feature flex-fuel system, which is compatible to feature a 1.2L petrol engine with ethanol blends starting from 27% to entirely on the biofuel.
