After months of intensive testing, Citroën finally lifts the veil on the first SUV coupé in its history, two days after revealing its name. Faithful to the spirit that has always driven the brand, Basalt breaks the rules in the B-segment by adopting an SUV coupé style, while at the same time ensuring significant living space for this third vehicle in the C-Cubed range.
A precise vision of the future Basalt
Derived from the latest C3 Aircross, the Citroën Basalt adopts all the style of the front part, but clearly differentiates itself from the rear doors to adopt a style that the brand wanted to be powerful and racy.
Developed on the Smart Car platform, the Citroën Basalt is therefore the third vehicle in the C-Cubed programme launched by the brand to develop its international sales, particularly in India and Latin America, the region where this Basalt will be sold.
Thierry Koskas, Chairman and CEO of Citroën, said: "We are delighted to unveil the third work of this programme designed to accelerate Citroën's international growth. The local teams are fully committed to delivering this innovative SUV-Coupé concept in the coming months, offering bold design, interior space and unique comfort. Developed and produced locally, we are confident that the Basalt Vision will attract a wide range of customers and strengthen our position in key markets. We look forward to sharing more with you by mid-year.
With this vision of Basalt, a concept faithful to the production model that will be unveiled towards the summer, Citroën shows its creativity with a unique silhouette concept that combines the codes of SUVs and coupes while offering the comfort of a compact 5-door saloon. Named after the rock of the same name, Basalt promises robustness and serenity, guaranteeing its driver a rewarding and reassuring vehicle through its style and attitude to the road, offering relaxed and comfortable journeys worthy of the brand's reputation.
A strong style for a unique personality
As expected, the new Citroën Basalt takes over the entire front section of the C3 Aircross, with a high, flat bonnet and a vertical face in line with the Citroën style introduced in Europe by the new C3. The front fenders are generous, making the Basalt look wider and giving it a more robust and powerful appearance. The difference becomes even clearer at the rear, with the roof sloping down in the purest coupé style, ending with a tailgate that simulates a two-and-a-half volume body, like the late Xantia.
At the rear there are new lights, some of which are set well back on the fender and are much more elaborate and modern than those on the latest C3 Aircross; the Basalt is a new sign of what the future Citroëns of India and Latin America are tending towards, and is getting closer to the style of the brand in Europe. The headlamps naturally take up the brand's stylistic language, introduced by the Oli concept, with two horizontal bars and a vertical bar that here looks more like a square, with a nice 3D effect that gives the headlamps depth.
Finally, Citroën does not lift the veil on this future Basalt, which will be launched in the second half of the year; the final version, very close to this vision, will be announced before the summer. With this third vehicle, the C-Cubed programme will end on a high note with a coupé SUV that will herald a new era for Citroëns developed in India and Latin America, as the brand undoubtedly seeks to unify its proposals for the future all over the world. This new Basalt has not been announced in Europe due to too much internal competition with the C4, which uses more or less the same concept, but is more of a sedan than an SUV coupé. See you in the coming weeks to discover the production version of this Basalt, which at least looks promising.