French carmaker Citroen will make its India debut by early 2021. The C5 Aircross mid-size SUV will be its first offering in our country, followed by a Kia Sonet rival sub-4m SUV, codenamed as 'C21', which is a part of Citroen’s C Cubed program, where the three C stands for ‘Cool, Comfort, & Clever’. As per the latest updates, all cars under this C3 program will be petrol-powered only. The brand will not offer any diesel engine with C-cubed offerings, and the reason behind this is the dropping demand for diesel models in the last few years.
As per the reports, the high-end products like C5 Aircross will get the diesel motor choice. For the people not in know, the C5 Aircross will be a locally assembled premium SUV, which will rival the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace and Skoda Kodiaq. In fact, the brand has already started its trail assembly at the PSA-CK Birla joint production facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. It will be powered by an imported 2.0-liter diesel engine and expected to be priced around Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom).
The C21 will be the first made-in-India offering of the Citroen in our country, and the brand will also export this sub-compact SUV in various other markets. It is expected to be offered with a 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol mill. However, Citroën is also developing a 1.5-liter diesel engine at its Hosur plant, but the brand won't offer this motor in C21, at least in the initial phase.
The Citroen C21 will be underpinned by the brand's latest Common Modular Platform (CMP), which is specially designed for the developing markets. This platform is compatible with various body styles & engines.
In India, the Citroen C21 will lock horns with Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Mahindra XUV300, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Nissan Magnite, Ford EcoSport, Toyota Urban Cruiser, and the upcoming Renault Kiger. Currently, all these cars, except for the Magnite, Vitara Brezza and its Toyota counterpart, are available with both petrol & diesel motors. Maruti could also bring back its 1.5-liter diesel engine in most of its offering.
Also Read: Citroen Sub-4m SUV To Feature A Floating Touchscreen Infotainment System
Citroen C21's launch timeline is yet to be revealed, but it is expected to hit the Indian dealerships by the end of 2021.
Besides C5 Aircross & C21 SUVs, the brand is also gearing up to enter into the MPV and compact SUV segment. In fact, the brand has also started testing the Berlingo MPV on Indian roads.