Citroen C5 Aircross, the first offering from the French carmaker, recently launched in India at an introductory price of Rs 29.90 lakh (ex-showroom). It’s Citroen’s flagship model that goes up against the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson. While the C5 Aircross comes via CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route, the upcoming models will be “more affordably priced” with heavy localization. Under its C-Cube strategy, the company aims to use over 90% locally sourced components and export platforms from India.
The carmaker’s Thiruvallur-based plant in Tamil Nadu has an annual production capacity of 100,000 units. The same facility serves as assembling hub for the C5 Aircross. Citroen’s Hosur-based plant produces 300,000 powertrains on annual basis, which are being exported to the European market. The French carmaker has invested Rs 2,000 crore in India for product development, land purchase, machinery and plant setup.
In order to expand its Indian product lineup, Citroen is planning roll out one new product every year for the next 4-5 years. If reports are to be believed, the next launch from the French carmaker will be a compact SUV to challenge the Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite. It’s likely to be the new-generation Citroen C3. While there is no official word on its launch timeline, the new Citroen compact SUV is reported to hit roads during this year’s festive season.
Codenamed Citroen CC21, the upcoming small SUV will underpin CMP (Common Modular Platform) architecture that’s used in several Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Vauxhall and Opel cars. It might be India’s first flex-fuel vehicle featuring 1.2L petrol and ethanol blends (ranging from 27% to entirely on the biofuel). The small SUV will also be available with a 130bhp, 1.2L turbo petrol engine. Transmission choices will include both manual and automatic units. Some of its design elements and features could be borrowed from the bigger Citroen cars including the C5 Aircross.
