French giant carmaker Citroen is gearing up to launch its new SUV, the Citroen C3, in India. This will be the company's second offering after the C5 in the Indian market. C3 will be launched in the segment of SUVs smaller than four metres, and the company will be launching this 5-seater SUV by March 2022. Ahead of the official launch., the C3 compact SUV has been spotted testing in India for the first time. Here are the spy photos:
If we talk about the international-spec model of the Citroen C3, the company has given the interior of the SUV a premium dashboard with patterns on it. Both corners of the dashboard have vertical vents that are also placed under the touchscreen infotainment system in the centre of the dashboard.
The Citroen C3 SUV is equipped with a Citroen Connect touchscreen infotainment system. The centre console features a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple Carplay and Android Auto, which can also be mirrored from smartphones. It also features voice recognition, which is controlled by steering. In addition to this, features like a digital instrument console, a multi-function steering wheel, and automatic climate control are also expected to come as standard on the top variant of the Citroen C3 SUV.
Other features of the cabin include three fast-charging USB ports and one 12V socket. The Citroen C3 has a one-litre glovebox and a 315-litre boot space. The wheelbase of this SUV is 2,540 mm, making the SUV quite spacious from the inside. The company claims that passengers sitting behind get the best leg space in the segment.
Coming to the Citroen C3's exterior, the compact SUV features split LED headlamps, LED taillights, underbody cladding, and high ground clearance. The car has a chrome front grille and a sporty bonnet in front. It has a ground clearance of 180 mm, which makes it easier to run even on bad roads. On the other hand, its turn radius is 10 metres, which makes it easier to drive in traffic.
The Citroen C3 will be manufactured locally at the company's Tiruvallur facility near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It is being built on the brand's new Common Modular Platform (CMP). The platform is designed to keep the price of SUVs low. For this, the carmaker has sought the help of Tata engineers. The recently introduced Tata Punch has also been developed on the CMP platform.
While the brand has not revealed the engine details yet, the C3 compact SUV is expected to get a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine while the transmission options will include a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. As per the sources, there won’t be any diesel engine on offer in the Indian market.
After its launch in India, the Citroen C3 SUV will compete with models like Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, and Mahindra XUV300 in the subcompact SUV segment.