After Kia and MG Motor, Citroen Set To Enter India

French automotive brand will enter the Indian market this year with a premium mid-size SUV

• Citroen is part of French automotive conglomerate Groupe PSA.

• It will enter the Indian market with the C5 Aircross SUV.

• It is expected to be offered with BS6-compliant petrol and diesel engines.

• The C5 Aircross will be a premium offering with prices expected to start from around Rs 16 lakh.

UPDATE: Coronavirus Effect: Citroen’s India Entry Delayed. Hyundai Tucson Rival To Now Launch In Q1 2021

In 2019, the Indian automotive scene saw the entry of two new carmakers: Kia and MG Motor. Now, in 2020, Citroen is preparing to enter the market with the launch of the C5 Aircross compact mid-size SUV.

Part of Groupe PSA, the Citroen brand has already showcased the C5 Aircross in India with a manufacturing facility in partnership with CK Birla Group in Tamil Nadu. The C5 will be a premium offering with features such as dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, as well as front and rear parking sensors. 

While global markets are preparing for the arrival of the hybrid version of the Citroen C5 Aircross, the SUV is expected to come to India with BS6-compliant petrol and diesel engines. The French carmaker has said it will focus more on bringing petrol powertrains to India. Citroen is expected to offer the C5 with a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine(180PS/250Nm). The diesel engine options are likely to be a 2.0-litre unit (176PS/400Nm). All engines are mated to a 6-speed manual with the likely option of an 8-speed automatic transmission as well.

The Citroen C5 Aircross SUV will be brought to India via the CKD route. The carmaker will shift towards localisation for future models with a plan to introduce one car a year in India. Citroen is expected to start small in 2020 and will be selling the C5 Aircross SUV in only 10 cities across India. It is expected to have a starting price of around Rs 16 lakh and will compete against the likes of the Jeep Compass, Tata Harrier, MG Hector, and even the Hyundai Tucson.