We have all been waiting for them, and here they are! The very first photos of the future Citroën C3 in testing have just been published and they allow us to discover details of this next generation, which is of capital importance for Citroën.
Almost a month before its presentation, the future Citroën C3 was surprised for the first time during development tests and these few photos allow us to understand the philosophy of this next generation.
First observation: the link between the Indian C3 and the next European one is real, but as already mentioned, the modifications are profound and no body part is common. The next C3, like its sisters C4 and C5, has a high driving position, which gives the driver a better view and the passengers plenty of space.
Second observation: the rear lights of this next-generation C3 are clearly visible in these photos and allow us to see the link between the oli concept and future Citroëns, since, like the C3 Aircross presented last April, the lights of the C3 adopt the principle of two horizontal LED bars framing a vertical LED bar. Note that the lights look very sophisticated, far from the simplicity of low-cost cars.
Third observation: the wheels look much bigger than on the Indian version, which will eliminate the roulette effect we could see on the latter. If the future C3 were to grow to just over 4 metres, its wheelbase would appear to be identical to that of the Indian C3 and the Peugeot 208, i.e. 2.54 metres.
Fourth observation: if you look closely at the front doors, you will notice a rounding on the A-pillar (windscreen), whereas on the Indian and Brazilian versions it is a clearly marked angle. This shows that the doors are very different between the two versions and that the modifications have been as severe as previously announced.
Fifth observation: we notice a generous boot spoiler, unlike the foreign versions, and a tailgate that is very slightly sloping, but vertical enough to leave plenty of space for the rear passengers and the boot. The latter has a tailgate that seems to go down very low, making it easier to load luggage, which leads to a bumper very inspired by the world of SUVs.
In conclusion, almost a month after its presentation, this first series of photos is reassuring in that it proves that development is continuing and that it provides clarification on details that confirm the previous information, namely that if there is indeed a link between the Indian and European C3, the latter has been heavily modified and the differences are numerous, much greater than a simple change in front and rear as some had suggested. There are only a few weeks left to know all the details of this future and eagerly awaited C3, but until then there may be other prototypes that surprise us during development.