It is official. Citroën’s first product in India will be the C5 Aircross. The SUV is slated to launch before 2020 comes to close and it will be produced in Tamil Nadu. The southern state is also home to PSA Avtec Powertrain Pvt. Ltd. – a manufacturing facility which was inaugurated in November last year. For India, Citroën will follow a top-down approach and after the C5 Aircross goes on sale, the French carmaker will introduce one new product every year from 2021.

Before we get to what the C5 Aircross’ recipe, let’s take a moment to understand Citroën’s game plan for India. Launching an assembled product would put a price tag much higher than the competition. To ensure that doesn’t happen, PSA Groupe will inject Rs 700 crore in setting up manufacturing facilities in India and build a strong supplier network. This, as per the automotive group, will help in achieving more than 90 per cent localisation of components. Although the group hasn’t revealed which models will follow the C5 Aircross, it did mention that those models will be launched in India before anywhere else in the world.

To keep the numbers going in the right direction, Citroën will be focusing on introducing more utility vehicles in India before it considers bringing sedans or hatchbacks. This brings us to the C5 Aircross. It was recently launched in Europe and has also been caught testing in India on several occasions. It is a funky looking thing and it should act as a much-needed refreshment in its segment. Considering its size, it will lock horns with the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, Mahindra XUV500, Tata Harrier and the Jeep Compass in India.

We currently don’t know what the C5 Aircross’ package will include for India. However, to get a taste of things to come, we can look at what it offers in the UK. A total of four engine options and two transmission options are available. Out of the four power-plants, two are petrol and two are diesel. The former category includes a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder mill that produces 131PS/230Nm and a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder motor with 181PS/250Nm on tap. While the former is available with a 6-speed manual transmission, that latter comes with an 8-speed automatic.

On the diesel front, the options include a 1.5-litre mill and a 2.0-litre mill, both with 4 cylinders. While the former puts out 131PS/300Nm and can be had with either a 6-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed automatic, the latter produces 177PS/400Nm and is available with only the 8-speed automatic gearbox. No matter which engine options Citroën brings to India, they will be BS VI-compliant.

As far as features go, the Citroën C5 Aircross is handsomely equipped. It is available in three trim levels in the UK – Feel, Flair and Flair Plus. On the outside, it boasts LED DRLs, automatic headlights and wipers, hands-free tailgate, fog lamps with cornering functionality, electric, heated and folding ORVMs, alloy wheels ranging from 17 to 19 inches in size and a panoramic sunroof. Inside, the SUV gets features like dual-zone climate control, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display and active cruise control.

Needless to say, there are a bunch of safety gizmos on-board the C5 Aircross as well. The list includes electronic parking brake, disc brakes for all wheels, hill start assist, multiple airbags, front and rear parking sensors, rear parking camera, Active Lane Departure Warning System and Active Blind Spot Monitoring System. To keep the costs in check in India, Citroën might offer a slightly stripped-down derivative of the UK-spec C5 Aircross. Whatever the case may be, the SUV will surely turn heads on the move. What do you guys think?

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Rachit Shad Trehan
A car nutter by heart. A hopeless engineer by education. Gunning for one goal - simplify cars.

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