The Citroen Compact SUV will be based on a shortened version of the C3 SUV sold internationally. The platform will be specific to India and will be a volume generator for Citroen.
French Carmaker Citroen is already gearing up for its India debut in 2020 with the C5 Aircross SUV. The brand is fairly unknown in India, like most other PSA group brands and the C5 aircross SUV will primarily be a brand builder for Citroen in India. However, more interesting than the C5 Aircross will perhaps be the brands second product in India – the C3 based compact SUV.
This new compact SUV will be a sub-4m SUV which will be shortened version of the C3 SUV sold internationally. It will be based on a completely different platform which will be specific for India. Also, being a sub-compact SUV, this car will be the primary volume generator for the Citroen brand when it is launched here in India in 2021.
The sub-compact SUV segment is very competitive and every year, we are seeing more and more entrants into this segment. This segment is hugely popular in India, and to gain a competitive advantage, Citroen intends to have a localization level of 90-95% right from the very beginning. This would result in cost savings and as a result, the product could be priced something around 7 lakhs, ex-showroom, of course. But that still is very aggressive pricing indeed.
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In terms of styling, the compact SUV will certainly draw design cues from the C3 SUV it is based on and is sold internationally. You can definitely expect the Citroen family design to find way into this compact SUV and that by every means is a good thing. Citroen’s design language is something that is very new and very attractive for the Indian market and it sure does stand out. However, the car could look less of an SUV and more of a buffed-up hatchback.
The Citroen compact SUV will be available with three engine options in India – there will be a 1.2L, 3-cylinder petrol engine which will be available as naturally aspirated as well as in a turbocharged guise. It will produce 83 bhp and 110 bhp respectively. There will also be a 1.5L, diesel engine which is the same DV5 unit that was co-developed by PSA and Ford and was used by Ford in its small car line-up. The engine will come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, which again will be locally manufactured to keep costs on check. An automatic version may follow later.
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The Citroen compact SUV will be made for India but will also be exported to around the world with Latin America being one of the main markets. When launched in India, the Citroen compact SUV will rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the Ford Ecosport, the Mahindra XUV300 and the Tata Nexon. This sub-compact SUV list in the country is getting longer and longer.
