Peugeot-Citroen DS 7 Crossback premium SUV testing in India

The Indian automotive market is growing at a fast pace. Manufacturers from around the globe are setting their eyes on the Indian market to the advantage of the situation. Peugeot is one such global manufacturer which is planning to launch their products in India and their first-ever product for the market has been spotted testing on the Indian roads.

DS Automobiles is Citroen’s premium arm, which only makes luxury vehicles was seen testing the DS 7 SUV on the Indian roads. It takes on the likes of the Volvo XC 40, BMW X1 and the Audi Q3 in the international markets and is expected to target the same products in the Indian market too. Even though it is placed in the same price bracket, it offers much more when compared to the German offerings.

The DS 7 Crossback is based on the EMP2 platform. It is the same platform that underpins the Citroen C5 Aircross and the Peugeot 5008 SUVs. As DS Automobiles is a fairly unknown brand, especially in India, it is quite possible the Peugeot-Citroen group rebadges them before launching in India. The group has also acquired rights to the Ambassador name in the Indian market from Hindustan Motors. However, it is not known if they will use the iconic name to name of the cars in the Indian market.

Coming back to the DS 7 Crossback, it is powered by a range of engines in the international markets. The SUV gets a 1.5-litre diesel engine that generates a maximum of 130 Bhp, a 2.0-litre diesel engine that produces a maximum of 180 Bhp and a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that generates a maximum of 222 Bhp. It gets both manual and automatic transmission options. The manual transmission is only available with the diesel-powered variants while the automatic version is available exclusively with the petrol variant of the vehicle.

It is quite possible that car caught testing is for testing for the upcoming BS-VI compliant engines and new transmissions that will be manufactured by the brand in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The brand already has set-up a plant and will soon start the manufacturing process.

The Peugeot group is making a comeback to the Indian market after about 14 years. It is expected to target the high-volume products in the Indian market. Even though the names of the cars are not known, Peugeot is expected to launch the 208 hatchback to take on the Maruti Suzuki Swift, 308 hatchback to take on the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, 2008 SUV to take on the Hyundai Creta and 3008 SUV to take on the likes of Jeep Compass in the Indian market. Peugeot has joined hands with the CK Birla group and is expected to launch their first product in 2020. They will also set-up dealership and service network across the nation.

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