Joining new brands Kia and MG Motor in launching upmarket SUVs next year is reportedly Groupe PSA with Citroen C5 Aircross rivalling Jeep Compass
According to a recent report emerged on the internet, Groupe PSA, which is the second largest carmaker in Europe, will be debuting in the domestic market with a SUV. The brand is hoping to grow one step at a time and will be targetting the customers seeking the latest trend of SUVs and crossovers.
Although Groupe PSA has Peugeot as a household brand and it had an unsuccessful stint in India in early 1990s, the speculation suggests the entry of Citroen C84 or C5 Aircross. It will be launched in 2019 ahead of the introduction of volume based vehicles in the following couple of years.
Also Read: Peugeot 208 Hatchback (Maruti Baleno Rival) Spotted In India Once Again
The assembly of the compact premium SUV is expected to commence at PSA’s Chennai facility and it will compete against the likes of Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson. The chances of the Citroen C5 Aircross remaining as a flagship product for the near future are high. The Peugeot 2008 and 208 had also been tipped for arrival earlier and the latter was spotted several times locally.
Ahead of its market entry, PSA could establish Experience Stores in top-tier cities to give buyers a glimpse of what they can expect from the brand. The European conglomerate has also hired TCS to design and develop products for local customers at levels of cost to rival against the big guns such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai.
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The company will reportedly start hiring more people by the third quarter of this year and has already been setting up its core team. Back to the vehicle in question though, the Citroen C5 Aircross dubbed as “most comfortable SUV of its time” has a lot in common with the Peugeot 3008.
The “people-minded SUV” has its suspension benefitting from Progressive Hydraulic Cushions and are described as something no one else has seen on the European market. The 4.5-metre long C5 Aircross was revealed in April 2017 before going on sale in China and Europe.
Also Read: Peugeot to Make India Comeback by 2020 as PSA and JK Birla Sign Joint Venture
As for the engine lineup, Citroen uses 165 PS and 200 PS producing turbocharged petrol units, connected to the EAT6 automatic transmission. For Europe, it comes with BlueHDi turbo diesel while a Plug-In Hybrid PHEV e-AWD drivetrain can also be found eventually with a total system output of 300 horsepower and all-wheel-drive configuration.
In all-electric mode, it is good enough to return a range of 60 km. New automakers entering India more often than not is not a coincidence as the market is growing several folds every years. SAIC’s MG Motor also fancies a sizeable pie in the SUV space and the SP concept based production SUV from Kia rivalling the Hyundai Creta is also gracing India next year.
Citroen C5 Aircross Images
