After the first press tests carried out at the beginning of August, Citroën announced that the new C3 Aircross would be launched on the Indian market in October and probably in Latin America as well.
A competitor to the Skoda Kashuq, Volkswagen Taigun and other Hyundai Cretas, the new C3 Aircross allows Citroën to enter the growing SUV segment, which it intends to shake up with the unprecedented offer of a 7-seater version.
Ahead of its launch in October, the brand is announcing today that pre-orders will begin on 15 September, without revealing the range and prices, which will be announced at the official launch. We do know, however, that the range will be rather limited as the brand intends to offer only one engine, 1.2 Puretech of 110 hp, combined with the 6-speed manual gearbox and not with the automatic, although this gearbox is only offered in Indonesia on the C3 Aircross. A strange strategy for Citroën, since the C3 Aircross is manufactured in India for the whole of Asia, including Indonesia, and the automatic gearbox is a key element for the success of a model on the Indian market... Let's hope that the brand will soon offer an automatic gearbox in India, which would give the C3 Aircross all the arguments to face the tough competition in this segment.
Citroën's prices should be competitive, or at least we hope so, because the C3 Aircross lacks a certain amount of equipment found on competing models. It will not have automatic air conditioning, LED headlights, a sunroof or induction charging and, worse still, only 2 airbags compared to 6 on all its rivals.
However, the C3 Aircross will be able to count on a wide range of personalisation options that will allow it to offer 4 body colours (Polar White, Steel Grey, Platinum Grey and Cosmos Blue) that can be combined with a two-tone grey, white or blue roof. In total, there are around ten exterior combinations and two interior combinations with bronze or grey inserts.
With this new C3 Aircross, Citroën is extending its range on the Indian market, which will allow it to increase its sales, which appear to be leveling off as the C3 has fallen permanently below the 1,000 unit mark. Citroën's new SUV will help its little sister to grow the brand, even if its curious choices risk penalising it.