Citroen To Take On Maruti, Tata, Renault, And Nissan With The C3 Crossover

The C3 will be available in as many as ten paint schemes with a mix of single- and dual-tone shades

• The C3 is a sub-4 metre offering whcih will rival Magnite, Kiger, Swift, Baleno and Grand i10 Nios.
• Design is similar to other Citroen cars.
• Single- and dual-tone paint schemes will be available.
• Petrol-only 1.2-litre petrol engines might be offered with manual and auto transmissions.
• 10-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is part of the features list.
• Expected price is between Rs 5.5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh (both ex-showroom).
• It will be launched in the first half of 2022.

Citroen has revealed the C3, its first mass-market offering for India. By the looks of it, we expect it to go up against cars like the Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. Alternatively, it will also compete against hatchbacks like the Swift, Baleno, Grand i10 Nios, the upcoming Tata Punch, and the likes. Traditionally, the C3 has always been the small car in the Citroen lineup, although the model unveiled is not the next-gen C3 sold in Europe.

The design is similar to the miniature model leaked earlier and bears a healthy resemblance to other cars in the Citroen lineup, like the C5 Aircross. The silhouette is boxy with rounded edges, a raked windscreen, and a slightly raked bonnet, all these coming together to lend it an SUV-ish stance. The double chevron Citroen logo takes centre stage, nicely flowing into the LED DRLs. The headlight clusters come below the DRLs, and the fog lamp is placed further below on the bumper. 

The car shown during the reveal is done up in a shade of white with a contrasting orange roof. Orange accents are also present on other areas of the car. The rear is less busy-looking,, although the tail lamps seem like they have a part LED and part halogen setup. Overall, they have a ‘3D’ look, which ties up the rear end quite well. 

Citroen will offer different colours for the roof and the body. For the former, the shades are Platinum Grey and Zesty Orange. Whereas the body can be had in Polar White, Steel Grey, Platinum Grey, and Zesty Orange. There will be a total of 10 combinations (mix of single- and dual-tone) available.

Like its exterior, the C3’s interior also has a dual-tone theme. The base colour is black, with an extended orange accent spanning the entire length of the dashboard. The touchscreen is a 10-inch unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There are some neat touches inside, for example, a smartphone holder and a wire organiser. Overall, the C3’s interior is what you’d call ‘funky’. 

The carmaker has given  away some numbers about the C3. It measures 3.98 metres in length, has a 2540mm wheelbase, and gets a ground clearance of 180mm. While there’s no official word on the engine, we expect it to be a 1.2-litre unit (with an option of naturally aspirated and turbocharged) , paired with manual and automatic transmissions.

The C3 will be launched in India in the first half of 2022, at expected prices ranging from Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh (both ex-showroom).