DriveSpark Exclusive: Citroen C3 Spotted Testing In Andhra Pradesh

When launched, the Citroen C3 SUV will compete against the likes of other sub-4m SUVs such as the Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Tata Nexon, and Mahindra XUV300 in the country.

The Citroen C3 SUV will be positioned below the larger Citroen C5 Aircross SUV in the country, and the French carmaker describes the upcoming Citroen C3 sub-4m SUV as 'Made In India for Indians'.

According to sources, the Citroen C3 SUV uses the French car manufacturer's Common Modular Platform (CMP) to keep the production costs down in order to make the SUV more affordable. This will play a key role in India, as most consumers in the country are very sensitive to pricing.

Apart from that, given the compact SUV segment in India is very tight and competitive, the French carmaker has to offer something unique to Indian consumers to stand out from the crowd.

Speaking about standing out of the crowd, the Citroen C3 SUV will come with a wide variety of customisation options with 78 different accessories. Moreover, the French sub-4m SUV is available with 4 different exterior colour options and two different roof colour options.

On the inside, the upcoming Citroen C3 SUV will come with a large 10-inch touchscreen system and this system is likely to offer features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Navigation and much more.

According to rumours, the upcoming Citroen may come with a flex-fuel engine, making it India's first SUV to come with a flex-fuel engine. This flex-fuel engine is most likely to be capable of running in both petrol and ethanol-based fuel.

The flex-fuel engine is most likely to be Citroen's 1.2-litre turbocharged unit capable of producing 130bhp of peak power. However, this engine could be tuned for more fuel efficiency and produce a bit less power in India.

Moreover, the French car manufacturer could also introduce a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine based on their existing 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated engine to keep the overall production costs down. This is a more likely engine option as Indian consumers are very sensitive to pricing.

Thoughts About The Upcoming Citroen C3

Citroen has high hopes for the Citroen C3 SUV as the Compact SUV segment in India is currently one of the most lucrative segments in India. However, the segment is also known to offer cut-throat competition and Citroen has to put their best efforts to make the SUV successful.

Moreover, if Citroen can replicate the C5 Aircross' DNA by offering an extra dose of comfort, it would give buyers a unique offering in the segment.