French car manufacturer, Citroen is ready to set its foot on the Indian automotive territory. The car brand will be setting its foot by launching its compact SUV car the C5 Aircross.
The car manufacturers seem bullish with their car, as they are aware of the fact that the segment is currently in trend around the country.
Citroen has decided to opt the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route for its first car stepping on the Indian land.
What is a CKD Car?
CKD refers to a vehicle which is not completely imported from a foreign country as a completely built vehicle, ready for sale.
However, in this method, the vehicle is not imported/exported as a single unit and is sent as parts.
The parts are then assembled at a plant located in the destination country. This makes the car evade certain taxes, hence making it cheaper to buy.
Citroen Compact SUV | Spotted
Recently, Citroen’s India spec compact SUV, the Citroen C5 Aircross was spotted being tested on Indian roads with Peugeot 208’s bodyshell. The car had a slightly more ground clearance and bigger wheel wells.
The test car which was spotted on the Indian roads is expected to be the first car for the Indian car market. Apart from the SUV, a sedan and a hatchback are expected to be launched in the Indian market.
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Citroen Compact SUV | About the car
Citroen’s C-Cubed platform will be the basis for the design of the compact SUV. The C-Cubed cars refer to ‘Cool, Comfort, Clever’, as clarified by the manufacturer.
The car is expected to be the first one out of the company’s C-Cubed pipeline. The C5 Aircross SUV is codenamed as C21 and is expected to take design inspiration from the current generation C3.
Being 90 to 95 per cent localised, Citroen has a window to price the car more competitively.
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Citroen Compact SUV | Expected Features
The compact SUV is most likely to arrive in the country with three engine options.
The French carmaker is eyeing the Indian market with a petrol 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine and a turbocharged sibling of the same.
Apart from the petrol segments, there’s another 1.5-litre DV5 diesel engine that will be launched in the market.
The carmaker will start its Indian journey with a manual gearbox, followed by an automatic gearbox.
With the C5 Aircross SUV placed in the compact SUV segment, the company will have to price it aggressively.
The company will have to fight their way through popular competitors like the Brezza, EcoSport and Hyundai’s Creta.
Will Citroen’s compact SUV be able to raise the bar in the popular car segment, that still remains a question that has to be answered.
