The all-new Citroen C3 Aircross SUV is expected to go on sale later this year.
21 Apr 2023 | 3334 Views | By Akbar Merchant, Autocar India
Ahead of the global debut of its next made-in-India SUV on April 27, Citroen has confirmed that it will be christened the C3 Aircross. This all-new B-SUV will go on sale in India first and is expected to be introduced in many other markets as a global product.
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Ahead of the global debut of its next made-in-India SUV on April 27, Citroen has confirmed that it will be christened the C3 Aircross. This all-new B-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: ground-up new SUV with a familiar name
Although 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, for a few years. The C3 Aircross that will see a global debut on April 27 will actually be the second-gen SUV and could replace the first-gen C3 Aircross globally.
The second-gen C3 Aircross will be around 4.2m long and will have a proper SUV design and not a coupe-SUV-like glasshouse. Going by the spy shots and the teaser revealed today, it's expected to have Citroen C3-like styling cues inside out, but 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 Aircross will have some switchgear in common with the smaller C3, but apart from that, we don't expect anything to be shared. Previous spy shots have shown the dashboard, the infotainment screen position and orientation, the seats and many other elements that seem to be unique on the C3 Aircross.
There are talks that the C3 Aircross could get a three-row seating layout as well, however, it remains to be seen whether that is 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 the 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-litre 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 as well. It also remains to be seen what gearbox options this engine comes paired to in the C3 Aircross. Also, as we've reported before, there will be an electric powertrain option as well, 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 rival 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' starting price could be aimed at naturally aspirated petrol variants of Creta and Seltos, the mild-hybrid 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.