Citroen Lease comes in partnership with ALD Automotive and it will be available across the entire C5 Aircross’ range upon its arrival before end-2020
Groupe PSA has today announced ‘Citroën Lease’ for the Indian market which aims at providing better customer owning experience without the hassle of fully paying for the vehicle. The full leasing services have been made possible in a partnership with ALD Automotive, globally known for automotive leasing and fleet management.
The French multinational conglomerate believes that it will provide mobility solutions for personal buyers, small- and medium-sized business providers, corporate as well as the public sector. Groupe PSA has opted to debut the Citroen brand for India instead of the already familiar Peugeot due to a variety of reasons.
Firstly, Groupe PSA has embarked on a new strategy to expand Citroen’s footprint beyond Europe on the back of the company setting record volume numbers in the Old Continent in recent years (one million unit sales globally in 2018). Moreover, the wide variety of offerings in Citroen’s portfolio will bode well for the Indian market, unlike Peugeot or DS.
Citroen’s local assault will begin with the market debut of the C5 Aircross. Just as the recent debutants MG and Kia with Hector and Seltos respectively, Citroen will position the C5 Aircross in the well sought after mid-size SUV segment. Scheduled to go on sale before the end of next year, the leasing scheme under the strategic partnership for C5 Aircross is hoped to make Citroen the “preferred mobility provider in India”
The brand focusses on offering “best-in-class car ownership experience” to buyers under the leasing program according to Roland Bouchara, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Citroën India. It will be available across the entire portfolio.
The benefits of leasing the C5 Aircross include “no upfront cost, no financial risk, efficient tax management, easy upgrade and hassle-free maintenance and insurance”, said Suvajit Karmakar, Chief Executive Officer & Whole-time Director, ALD Automotive. Citroen is planning to launch four vehicles in India over the next as many years.
Following the C5 Aircross, a compact SUV rivalling Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Venue could be on the cards while the Ambassador name could be revived in the near future as well. In January 2017, Groupe PSA and CK Birla Group signed two JVs for manufacturing vehicles and powertrains in Tamil Nadu with an initial investment of more than 100 million Euros.
The Powertrain JV greenfield facility at Hosur was established with a capacity to manufacturer three lakh transmission and two lakh BSVI powertrains in late 2018. The Euro NCAP 4-star rated C5 Aircross is based on the EMP2 platform as DS7 Crossback and the latest iteration debuted more than two years ago at Shanghai in China.
The C5 Aircross is claimed to be the “most comfortable SUV” with its suspension comprising of Progressive Hydraulic Cushions. It is expected to be powered by a PureTech turbo petrol and a BlueHDi diesel engine upon arrival with six-speed manual and automatic transmission options.