Group PSA has announced that the launch of the Citroen brand with the C5 Aircross has now been postponed to January-March 2021 due to coronavirus scare.
Group PSA was supposed to make its India entry late this year with the Citroen brand. The Citroen C5 Aircross was supposed to be launched in India around September and it was coming to the country via the CKD route. However, it now stands delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus scare. Citroen will now officially launch the C5 Aircross in India sometime in between January-March 2021.
The statement from the French brand reads, “The re-timing is aimed to move the commercial launch to a potentially more positive economic activity period where consumer sentiments are upbeat.” On account of being a CKD (completely knocked down) unit, the C5 Aircross certainly would have been expensive in India, costing upwards of Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom). Citroen wasn’t looking to make C5 Aircross as a mass market product anyway but it meant to give the brand a premium positioning in India.
Going forward, Citroen also has a compact-SUV for India in the pipeline. Citroen is in fact banking on this car to be their volume seller in India. It will be based on the brand’s ‘C-Cubed’ program and will actually be a made-in-India product with high levels of localization. In fact, Citroen intends to achieve 90-95% localization with this compact SUV and that would allow them to introduce the car in market at around Rs 7 lakh, a genuine mass market product.
Also Read : Citroen Will Mark its India Debut with its ‘La Maison’ Dealership Format
The C5 Aircross actually sits in the segment of the Tata Harrier and the MG Hector. In fact, its actually smaller than both of these cars measuring about 4.5 meters in length. In India, the C5 Aircross could likely be powered by either a 131hp, 1.5L diesel engine or a 180hp, 2.0L diesel engine. A punchy diesel engine coupled with Citroen’s funky styling and premium, comfortable interiors is what the company hopes to bank on to justify the car’s premium price tag.
Also Read : Citroen C3-based Compact SUV, specifically made for India to launch in 2021
Prior to India was struck by coronavirus and the lockdown was imposed, Citroen was already well underway in the process of setting up their dealership network in India. In fact, the company’s first showroom in Ahmedabad was almost ready by the end of February. 10-15 Citroën outlets –- all of which will be based on the brand’s ‘La Maison’ concept – were said to be in the first phase. However, we will have to wait a little more longer before we see Citroens on our roads.
