Citroen reveals India bound C3 compact SUV: Will rival Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza & Hyundai Venue

Citroen entered the Indian market with the C5 AirCross. It was priced on the higher side because it is being brought as a CKD or Completely Knocked Down unit. Citroen knows that they would not be able to rely just on the C5 to compete in the market. So, they have been working on a compact SUV that will be called C3. Launching a compact SUV makes a lot more sense because they are selling like hotcakes right now in our market. The manufacturer has now revealed the C3 for the international market. The new compact SUV is expected to launch in India sometime next year.

The C3 is the first product under the C-Cubed programme. The programme was specifically developed to target emerging markets. The new compact SUV will be made in India and South America. So, we can expect a high level of localization, which means it should get priced aggressively. The compact SUV would measure 3.98 metres in length and will have a boot capacity of 315 litres. The ground clearance of the Citroen C3 is 180 mm.

The C3 will be based on the CMP or Common Modular Platform. It is a very versatile platform as it can be used to produce many body styles. The manufacturers can be used to make a compact SUV, mid-size SUV, hatchbacks and even sedans. CMP also supports various different powertrains such as petrol, hybrid, diesel and even electric. Other manufacturers like Peugeot, Opel and Stellantis will also be using the same platform. In fact, the upcoming Jeep’s compact SUV will also be using the same platform and even have a 4×4 system.

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Design

The design of the C3 resembles a lot of other Citroen vehicles. Up-front there is an LED Daytime Running Lamp that integrates neatly into the upper strip that forms Citroen’s logo. Then the main headlamp unit also has an LED Daytime Running Lamp that integrates into the lower strip of the Citroen’s logo.

There is a big air dam and a faux skid plate. Around the fog lamps, there are orange accents. At the sides, also we get the same orange square on the plastic cladding that runs over the wheel arches and doors. The rear has a flat tailgate with a faux skid plate and square tail lamps.

Then we come to the interior which looks very funky as compared to other rivals. It has an orange dashboard to complement the orange accents on the exterior. There is a widescreen touchscreen infotainment system that will support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It gets manual air conditioning, a phone holder, 12V accessory socket, USB port and a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel.

Rivals

Citroen C3 is entering into one of the toughest segments of the automobile industry. However, if it is priced aggressively it can do quite well in the market just like Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite did. The C3 will go against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Ford Ecosport, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300.

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