Following the C5 Aircross, as many as three heavily localised products will join the domestic lineup by 2023
Citroen India will be debuting next year with the C5 Aircross premium SUV and it will be followed by a host of new models that are heavily localised to meet the requirements of the local buyers. The French manufacturer is also planning to bring in EVs at a later date. The C5 Aircross will be followed by as many as three made-in-India products by 2023 under the C Cubed program.
The brands aims to have a highly localised content of over 95 per cent and it also intends to export passenger vehicles, engines and gearboxes across the globe from India. In the first half a decade of its existence, Citroen is planning to grab 2 per cent market share. Due the health crisis, the launch of the C5 Aircross has been pushed to the first quarter of 2021.
It will be brought into the country via CKD route from France and assembled locally in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. It will be responsible for setting up a premium brand image ahead of the arrival of a compact SUV codenamed C21. It will be based on the CMP architecture developed by Groupe PSA and Dongfeng Motors in France. It will be followed by a B2 segment hatch and a C-segment sedan.
The C21 compact SUV will compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, newly launched Toyota Urban Cruiser, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the upcoming Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite in the hotly contested space. The premium hatchback will also be designed and developed in India to take on Maruti Suzuki Baleno, upcoming third-gen Hyundai Elite i20, Tata Altroz, VW Polo and Honda Jazz.
Expect the hatch to enter the domestic market in 2022 ahead of the sedan in 2023. The trio will be produced at Citroen’s plant in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. The ex-HM facility and the engine and transmission base jointly owned under Groupe PSA-CK Birla Group JV in Hosur will play a crucial role in the brand’s expansion in the coming years.
Initially, Citroen will set up its dealerships in the metros and its footprint will be expanded when more new products join the lineup. An electric version of the forthcoming compact SUV can be expected in the future as Tata Nexon spawned its EV earlier this year and the zero-emission Mahindra XUV300 is slated for the second half of 2021.