About a century ago, the founder of the Citroen brand André Citroën dreamt of making cars more accessible to everyone. It appears to be true with Citroen India’s new offering, the C3, as it is positioned as a hatchback while packaging as a complete compact SUV.
Just before the unveiling of the car, Roland Bouchara, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Stellantis India, said that with more than 90% localisation and validated by testing it for over 2.5 million kilometres, the C3 will go on sale on July 20, 2022, with bookings starting on the first of July. After India, the company plans to launch the C3 in Latin America and ASEAN markets, he said. The company will launch C-Cubed EV and C-Cubed new model next year, he added.
Comfort Of Customisation
With copious space, the interior of the C3 has a ten-inch infotainment unit and a tropicalised air-conditioning system. In addition, it has 315 litres of boot space. Saurabh Vatsa, Citroen Brand Head, India, said that the company is offering the comfort of customisation and options of styling the car the way customers want it with ten exterior colour combinations and three packs such as Vibe, Elegance and Energy with 56 customisation options. Besides, it also offers 70 accessories to satiate individual tastes.
Though the vehicle maker is positioning it as a compact hatch, its high stance, high ground clearance, and a confident and high driving position make it an SUV. Clarifying this myth to Mobility Outlook, Vatsa said that the C3, coming from a C-CUBE platform, is a sub-four metre offering, and this segment holds over 70% market share in India.
Styling
Taking a leaf out of an extensive consumer survey conducted by the brand during the past five years, Vatsa said it was evident they wanted a compact vehicle with an SUV styling. With a staunch belief that “the sub-four metre vehicle is not a true-blue SUV, it is unfair to call C3 an SUV,” reiterated Vatsa and added, “which is why we call it a hatch with a twist.”
Limited Variants
For the new hatch that is targeted at the age group of 28 to 38 and making the vehicle with only three variants, Vatsa reasoned out that the feedback from the representatives of this group, who are young and progressive, was to have a minimal choice so that the buying decision is faster. At the same time, the millennials wanted options to have the car reflect their personality. This made the company offer 56 customisation options and over 70 accessories.
As the requirement for the infotainment system was for all the occupants to have an immersive experience, the company provided a ten-inch screen, positioned it slightly above and in the middle of the dashboard, enabling all the occupants to have the same experience. Raising the second row to make it a theatre-style arrangement is also to support this requirement, he said.
Younger Cousin
C3 was designed like a younger cousin of the flagship C5 Aircross; therefore, the company is following through with Citroen DNA in both vehicles.
The car is designed with a high ground clearance of 180 mm along with a higher driving position that is 100 mm more than some of the other sub-4 metre hatchbacks. For enhanced driving comfort, the driver seat is height-adjustable along with a tilt-adjustable steering wheel. In addition, the suspension system is tuned for varied driving conditions offering refined chassis-suspension dynamics for a flying carpet effect.
To penetrate the market better, the company will double phygital sales outlet to 20 with the launch of C3, and before the end of this calendar, it will increase it to 30. In terms of digital presence, he said, the company was catering to 50 PIN Codes, and now it is expanding to 90 PIN Codes. “As C3 goes on the road, more products will be visible,” which will enhance the brand recall for the company, he averred.
Powertrain
The car comes with two options for its 1.2Litre engine. The PURETECH 82 mated to5-speed manual transmission delivers 82 PS of output and a claimed fuel efficiency of 19.8 kmpl. While the PURETECH 110 with6-speed manual transmission delivers 110 PS of power and a claimed fuel efficiency of 19.4 kmpl. Though not introduced now, an automatic transmission will be part of the lifecycle of C3, he said.
The C3 comes with a standard vehicle warranty for two years or 40,000 km and 24/7 Roadside Assistance. Extended warranty and maintenance packages are also available through the dealers, he added.