Fresh SUV from Citroen will be squarely aimed at other B-segment SUVs like the Creta, Seltos, Grand Vitara, Hyryder, Taigun and the Kushaq.
Days after confirming April 27 for the global debut for its all-new B-SUV, Citroen today has announced that its next made-in-India SUV will be christened the C3 Aircross. This new SUV will go on sale in India first and is expected to be introduced in many other markets as a global product.
- Citroen C3 Aircross is the brand’s Creta rival
- Will come with petrol engines only
- Expected to go on sale later this year
Citroen C3 Aircross: grounds up new SUV with a familiar name
While the C3 Aircross SUV will be an all-new product for India and a few other markets, Citroen already sells a crossover with the same name in many other markets including Europe since a few years. The C3 Across that will see a global debut on April 27 will actually be the second-gen SUV and could be the one that will replace the first-gen C3 Aircross globally.
The second-gen C3 Aircross, which is expected to go on sale in India first, will be around 4.2 meters long and will have a proper SUV design and not a coupe-SUV like glasshouse. This new SUV, going by the spy shots and the teaser revealed today, is expected to have many Citroen C3-like styling cues inside out and while it may look a bit like the C3, the C3 Aircross will be a much larger vehicle overall. Design elements such as the split headlight set-up, the grille and wraparound tail-lamps are expected to be similar among other bits.
On the inside, the C3 Across will have some switchgear in common with the smaller C3 however, apart from that, we dont expect anything to be shared. Previous spy shots have shown the dashboard, the infotainment screen position and orientation, the seats and many other bits seem to be unique for the C3 Aircross, thanks to its larger dimensions. There are talks of the C3 Aircross getting a three row seating layout as well, however it remains to be seen whether that is being offered at launch.
Citroen C3 Aircross: CMP modular platform, petrol powertrains only
The CMP modular platform that underpins a long list of Stellantis vehicles from brands like Jeep, Fiat and also the made-in-India Citroen C3, will be used as basis for the upcoming C3 Aircross SUV. This will help Citroen with greater economies of scale and also with competitive pricing especially for the C3 Aircross SUV which will enter a segment that has a contender from almost every car brand in India. What should also help the C3 Aircross with attractive pricing is the 1.2-liter turbo petrol engine which will again be shared with the C3. This engine churns out 110hp and 190nm and while it makes the smaller C3 a peppy little crossover to drive, it should be just enough for the larger C3 Aircross SUV as well. It also remains to be seen what gearbox options this engine comes paired to in the C3 Aircross. Also, as reported by us earlier, there will be a pure electric powertrain option as well on the new C3 Aircross which will join the line-up a little later.
Citroen C3 Aircross: stiff competition expected in India
Expected to go on sale later this year, the all-new Citroen C3 Aircross SUV will be rivaling other midsize SUVs in the segment such as the mega popular Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq. And since it is expected to be slightly low on power when compared to its turbo petrol rivals, the C3 Aircross’ stating price could be aimed at naturally aspirated petrol variants of Creta and Seltos, the mild-hybrid tech equipped Grand Vitara and Hyryder, and 1.0 TSI variants of the Kushaq and Taigun. Expect more details on the C3 Aircross SUV to be revealed as the global debut nears.