Citroen CC21 sub-compact SUV SPIED in India

Citroen just revealed their first vehicle for India, which is the C5 AirCross. Now, spy shots of a new sub-compact SUV have surfaced on the internet. The new vehicle is being called CC21 internally and it was spotted on a test in Tamil Nadu. It will be smaller than the compact-SUVs like Maruti Vitara Brezza. So, it will be competing against small hatchbacks that get SUV inspired designs such as Mahindra KUV100, Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the upcoming Tata HBX. However, because of its price, it will also be competing against the premium hatchbacks like Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Tata Altroz.

The CC21 is specifically being made for India. It will be underpinned by Citroen’s Common Modular Platform. This is the same platform that underpins Peugeot and other Citroen products. The manufacturer has heavily localized the platform to reduce the production costs and price the CC21 competitively in the Indian market. Citroen CC21 will get a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The engine should produce around 100 PS of peak power and 150 Nm of peak torque. It will be offered with a manual and an automatic transmission.

The CC21 will be India’s first flex-fuel engine which means it will be able to run on regular petrol as well as ethanol blends (from 27% to 100%). Citroen says that introduction of a Flexi-fuel system will give them a first-mover advantage in the segment as emission norms are only going to become stricter in India’s automotive industry.

Also read: All-new SUVs launching in India during 2021

The design language of the upcoming micro-SUV will be similar to the European spec model of the C3 AirCross which is a small crossover which is also designed to look like a small SUV. So, we are expecting that there would be some type of split headlamp present, which a chunky faux skid plate to emphasise on the SUV quotient of the new crossover. There will be a sleek grille that will integrate Citroen’s logo and two rectangular air dams for the engine. Overall, the design of the CC21 is expected to be simple so that it can appeal to most of the people. Because the test mule was camouflaged aggressively, we cannot see how the production-spec CC21 looks.

The interior of the SUV is expected to be quirky but there is not much information out there as of now. What we know is that the centre of the dashboard will house a touchscreen infotainment system that is expected to offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay at this day and age. It will come with features like automatic climate control, push-button to start/stop, multi-function steering wheel, multi-information display, rear parking sensors with reversing camera and much more.

There are rumours that Citroen will also launch an electrified version of the CC21 on a later date. This will make the Citroen CC21 be the cheapest electric vehicle that the general public will be able to own. If this happens then it will go against the Mahindra eKUV100 and the Tata HBX EV. The eCC21 is expected to get priced at Rs. 8 lakhs to 10 lakhs whereas the ICE version will be cheaper starting from Rs. 5 lakhs ex-showroom.

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Also read: Upcoming Tata Hornbill HBX micro SUV front & rear in new spy shots