DriveSpark Exclusive: Citroen C3 Spotted Testing Without Camouflage For First Time

The Citroen C3 was spotted wearing a Grey exterior paint with a contrasting orange roof. This is the first time a Citroen C3 was spotted in this colour in India.

This French automaker has been testing this SUV for quite some time and when launched, the Citroen C3 SUV will compete against the likes of other sub-4m SUVs in the country such as Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, and Mahindra XUV300.

Given the extensive testing, we believe there is nothing wrong with how the French automaker describes the upcoming Citroen C3 sub-4m SUV as 'Made In India for Indians'.

Speaking about the Citroen C3, the sub-4m SUV is built on Citroen's Common Modular Platform (CMP) to keep the production costs low in order to make the SUV more affordable in the Indian market. The pricing will play a key role in India, as most consumers in the country are very sensitive to the price tag.

Also, we expect the Citroen C3 SUV to come with a wide variety of customisation options with 78 different accessories to choose from. This customisation offer is very important as the compact SUV segment in India is very competitive and offering something unique is of utmost importance.

In terms of features, the upcoming Citroen C3 sub-4m SUV will come with a large 10-inch touchscreen system and the system is likely to offer connectivity features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Navigation and much more.

It is also rumoured that the upcoming Citroen C3 SUV may come with a flex-fuel engine, making it the model India's first SUV to come with a flex-fuel powertrain. Thanks to the flex-fuel engine, the powertrain is likely to be capable of running in both petrol and ethanol-based fuel.

Apart from that, the Citroen C3 is likely to be powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged unit capable of producing 130bhp of peak power. However, this engine could be tuned for more fuel efficiency in India.

There could also be a possibility of the French automaker using a modified version of the 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated engine, modified to displace just 1.5-litres. This will keep the overall production costs down.

At present, Citroen retails the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV in India and the SUV competes against the likes of other premium 5-seater SUVs such as Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Compass, and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Thoughts About The Upcoming Citroen C3 SUV

Citroen has high hopes for the Citroen C3 SUV as the model competed in one of the most lucrative segments in India. However, the success of the SUV will depend on the pricing and the uniqueness offered by the manufacturer.