The first Citroën C5 Aircross SUV has been rolled out from the assembly line at its Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu based manufacturing plant ahead of its debut on 1st February 2021. It will be Citroen’s first product in the Indian market. It is likely to be launched in March 2021 at a starting price of around Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom).
The French carmaker asserts that the SUV has been tested for over 2.5 lakh kilometers in our country on different terrains and in diverse weather conditions. It will be powered by a 180bhp 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine that will be mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. This gearbox comes with a shift-by-wire system i.e., there is no mechanical link between the gear lever and the transmission, which provide smoother shifting and aid fuel efficiency. Interestingly, the engine also comes with an idle start-stop system to maximize the fuel economy.
The C5 Aircross will also get Citroen’s renowned 'Progressive Hydraulic Cushion' equipped suspension system which is designed to curb the suspension’s responses to big compressions so that the ride is smoother. Citroen calls it 'a magic carpet ride'. It also gets a terrain management system known as the 'Grip Control System'.
Also Read: Citroen Cars Under C-Cubed Programme Won't Get Diesel Engine
In terms of design, the C5 Aircross has a crossover-like silhouette with striking design touches such as a split front grille with sleek LED DRLs and dual-beam LED headlights, well-rounded curvatures, dual-tone alloy wheels, roof rails, and split LED taillights. It will be built on the PSA EMP2 platform.
As far as the features are concerned, the C5 Aircross SUV will come loaded up to the brim, offering premium features like three individually adjustable, reclining, and modular rear seats, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, phone mirroring, panoramic sunroof, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, powered driver seat, dual-zone climate control, hands-free tailgate, electronic parking brake, blind-spot monitoring system, and park assist, etc.
For the people not in know, Citroen has already opened its first-ever showroom in Ahmedabad, Gujrat, which is based on its global ‘La Maison Citroen’ concept, which literally means ‘The home of Citroën’ in French. By the time of C5 Aircross's launch, Citroën projects to extend the La Maison Citroën dealership network to 9 more cities including Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Cochin, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru.
Though the first Citroen SUV has been brought to our shore as CKD (Completely knocked down) units, the other Citroen’s models are likely to be manufactured locally. Followed by the C5 Aircross, the French maker could launch a sub-compact SUV (codenamed C21), which will mark Citroen's entry into the most contested segment of the country. Currently, this segment is dominated by the like of Tata Nexon, Nissan Magnite, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, etc.
