Tag: aircross

  • Citroen To Launch One New Model In India Every Year

    Citroen To Launch One New Model In India Every Year

    Citroen is all set to begin sales operations in India next month which is when it will take the wrap off its first model- the Citroen C5 Aircross and it’s just the beginning of the Journey for the French carmaker in India. Citroen has inaugurated it ‘La Maison’ showroom in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and is promising that it will keep introducing at least one new model every year, in a bid to gradually build up its product line-up in our market.

    Now a couple of models other than the Citroen C5 Aircross which will be a Jeep Compass and Tata Harrier rival, have been spotted doing rounds in India last year. The next model which most likely will hit our market by the end of 2021 or early next year will be the C3 Aircross which is a smaller subcompact SUV, taking on the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Venue among others. Then, the Citroen Berlingo MPV was also spotted testing in India last month, and if on its arrival, it will enter a segment where Renault had launched the Lodgy five years ago. However, we don’t have any final word from the company on its launch yet.

    Roland Bouchara, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Citroen India, “We have a clear intention which not many manufacturers had when they entered the country. We have created an ecosystem in India. We have engineering, R&D facilities already here and we are already manufacturing the diesel engine at the Hosur plant. We are looking at localization levels of 90 percent -100 percent in our cars for India.”

    The company has also confirmed that all upcoming models will be underpinned by the C-Cubed platform and will have both petrol and diesel engine options. The Citroen C5 Aircross will also be powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine that puts out 177 bhp and 400 Nm of peak torque and will be mated to an eight-speed torque-converter automatic unit. The petrol version will be added later to the line-up. Citroen will open 10 dealerships in different cities before the launch of the C5 Aircross.

  • Citroen India To Unveil Its First Model Early April

    Citroen India To Unveil Its First Model Early April

    Retail News had exclusively confirmed that the C5 Aircross will be the French carmaker’s first model in the Indian market and will be locally assembled here using about 70 per cent of the local contents at Groupe PSA’s Hosur plant in Tamil Nadu. The Indian-spec Citroen C5 Aircross which made its first public appearance last year will be unveiled on April 3. It’s just been a few days that Citroen brand was affirmed by the PSA Groupe for India and the company has decided to showcase its first model.

    The Citroen C5 Aircross is also one of the design finalists for the prestigious World Car Of The Year (WCOTY) design award. It measures 4500 mm long and is underpinned by Groupe PSA’s EMP2 platform which will also spawn a plug-in Hybrid variant at a later date. Powering the Citroen C5 Aircross is a 2.0 litre diesel engine and a 1.2-litre petrol engine which are mated to an eight-speed auto transmission as standard. These drivetrains (engine + gearbox) are already being manufactured at the Hosur plant for exports. The cabin is equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system along with a 12.3-inch TFT-digital instrument screen and gets 20 new age driver assistance features. The Citroen C5 Aircross, when launched, will compete with the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tuscon in India.

    We also gave you a list of the models which Citroen may be considering for the Indian market. According to our sources in its European headquarters, Citroen is also evaluating the C3 Aircross as the second model for India which will likely be launched in FY2021 after its scheduled facelift. The facelifted Citroen C3 Aircross will also be assembled at the Hosur plant which Citroen has established along with the CK Birla Group under a 50:50 Joint venture. The French marque has invested ₹ 600 crore in the plant so far and has a manufacturing capacity to produce 200,000 powertrains and 300,000 transmissions.

    Further investments will be made to target manufacturing 50,000 units of passenger vehicles annually as the company is planning to launch its first model in India in 2021.