Citroen’s third product for India, the Creta rivalling C3 Aircross SUV gets two seating options.
Citroen has taken the wraps off the new C3 Aircross SUV that makes its global debut here in India. The C3 Aircross is the brand’s third model for the Indian market that also gets the C3 hatchback and the C5 Aircross SUV. The new C3 Aircross SUV will go on sale in India in the second half of 2023.
- C3 Aircross SUV has 90 percent localisatoin
- Gets two seating layouts
- 110hp 1.2-litre turbo petro sole engine on offer
Citroen C3 Aircross: exterior styling
While the brand has shared limited details for the new C3 Aircross SUV, what we now know is that It will be 4.3 metres long, which means the new SUV from Citroen will be on par with the Creta as far as length goes. As far as styling goes, the C3 Aircross has unmistakable Citroen family styling cues and at first glance, it does look a lot like the smaller C3 however a closer look reveals the difference in size and styling for the C3 Aircross SUV. Like most Citroens, the logo in the front has been integrated into the grille that has a two layer design replete with chrome and piano black inserts. It also gets the Citroen signature Y-Shaped daytime running lamps with the main headlamps sitting next to the bottom part of the Y, just above the bumper. The front bumper is tall and gets its dedicated air intake vent surrounded by round fog enclosures. There’s also a prominent front chin just on the bottom part of the bumper finished in brushed aluminum.
On the sides, the C3 Aircross gets round wheel arches, a long-ish wheelbase and added doses of cladding just below the doors, on the wheel arches and also on the doors themselves similar to the other Citroen models. The C3 has 200mm ground clearance which is more than the Creta. The doors look big but come with traditional lift-type door handles instead of pull-type units used by all of the C3 Aircross’ rivals. Higher variants will come with dual tone exterior paint finish and chunky alloy wheels with stylish X-shaped design. At the back it gets a large tailgate, tall bumpers with adequate cladding and squarish taillamps that look similar to the smaller C3 in looks but are larger in size.
Citroen C3 Aircross: interior and tech
Citroen has cleverly equipped the 4.3 meter long C3 Aircross with not one but two seating options. There will be“standard” five-seat iteration along with a three-row layout good for seven passengers. As far as cargo room goes, Citroen claims that the 5-seat C3 Aircross offers a 444-litre boot and the 7-seater variant’s boot capacity is 511 litres with the 3rd row fully removed.
While the SUV does not seem to get automatic climate control, it will get additional set of AC vents for the second and third row passengers. Infotainment duties will be carried out by a 10.2 inch touchscreen which is similar to the C3. The C3 Aircross gets a full digital multicolour instrument cluster as well and there are multiple drive modes expected too.
Citroen C3 Aircross: 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine
The C3 Aircross comes with a 1.2-litre Turbo-petrol engine that is good for 110hp and 190Nm of torque. This is the same powerplant that sees duty in the C3. As far as gearbox options go, the C3 will go on sale with a six-speed manual initially. There will also be an automatic though this is likely to miss the launch date, our sources indicate that Citroen are struggling to secure automatic gearbox units from supplier AISIN.
Citroen C3 Aircross: rivals and launch timeline
The C3 Aircross, upon launch, will face some fierce competition from well-established rivals like the Hyundai Creta, the Kia Seltos, the Maruti Grand Vitara, the Toyota Hyryder, the Volkswagen Taigun and also the Skoda Kushaq. Price anouncement for the C3 Aircross will take place in the second half of this year.