Citroen is planning to launch a new sub-4-metre SUV in the Indian market, named C3, sometime during 2022
The compact SUV segment is the most hotly contested space in the Indian car market right now. The practicality on offer and their relative affordability are the biggest reasons for the popularity of such vehicles among buyers. Even though the segment already has plenty of contenders battling each other, another one is slated to enter the fray soon.
French carmaker Citroen entered the Indian market earlier this year, with C5 Aircross as its maiden offering. The manufacturer has plans to expand its lineup in our market, with its next vehicle being a sub-4-metre SUV. Codenamed CC21, the upcoming Citroen compact SUV is expected to launch in India next year, under the name C3.
The upcoming Citroen SUV will be based on a heavily localised version of the Compact Modular Platform (CMP). It should be noted that the international-spec C3 Aircross is larger than four metres in length, while Citroen’s upcoming C3 for the Indian market will be shorter than that, to take advantage of the tax breaks in our country. Test mules of the C3 Aircross have already been spied multiple times during road tests on the streets of India.
The technical specifications are all under wraps right now, but plenty of speculations have been floating around. The SUV is expected to be powered by a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, and transmission options will include both manual and automatic gearboxes. It is expected to get a 1.2-litre, turbocharged, flex-fuel engine option as well.
The flex-fuel powerplant will be able to run ethanol-blended petrol. With the government of India planning to roll out ethanol-blended fuel in the coming years, this would be great for Citroen. No other car in the Indian market is ready to run such fuels yet.
The upcoming Citroen C3 will be manufactured in India, in order to keep the production costs low, which will help keep the prices competitive. Upon launch, the SUV will rival the likes of Maruti Brezza, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Nissan Magnite, etc. The upcoming vehicle will be launched in a few international markets as well, like Brazil.