Citroen C5 Aircross will go on sale in early 2021 with an imported 2.0-litre four-cylinder Diesel engine producing 180 horsepower
Groupe PSA will be making a comeback into India with the debut of the Citroen brand. The French manufacturer will introduce the C5 Aircross in the early stages of 2021 and a report emerged on the internet revealed its performance numbers. The premium SUV will be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine upon its arrival.
The company reportedly considered bringing the 1.5-litre unit producing 131 horsepower to keep the prices competitive but the 2.0-litre oil-burner has been opted to deliver a maximum power output of 180 horsepower. The performance figure will stand in line with the upmarket positioning of the Citroen C5 Aircross and it will be connected to an automatic transmission as standard.
The eight-speed torque converter automatic unit will be the only gearbox option the SUV will boast. The 2.0-litre diesel engine will be brought into the country via CBU (Completely Built Up) route and it suggests that the pricing of the SUV will be on the higher side compared to its rivals such as Jeep Compass (waiting to get a facelift next year) and Hyundai Tucson (also gaining a facelift soon).
However, it is being said to save notable custom duties compared to rivals like Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace that was launched earlier this year. The report further indicates that the C5 Aircross will cost more than Rs. 30 lakh and since most of its European counterparts are straying away from diesel engines, the C5 could have an advantage as it might appeal to potential buyers.
Just as some of its imported rivals, the Citroen C5 Aircross five-seater SUV will be sold in the country in a fully-loaded top-spec trim. Thus, we can expect features such as panoramic sunroof, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, 12.3-inch digital instrumentation, six airbags, electronic parking brake, powered seats and so on.
While the C5 Aircross will sit higher up the range, the brand is concentrating on launching heavily localised products in the coming years as well. Its second offering will likely be a compact SUV internally codenamed C21 and it could arrive in late 2021 to compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport and others.