Citroen Cars

Brand Overview : One of the newest car brands to enter India, Citroen is a part of the erstwhile PSA Group, which now comes under the Stellantis conglomerate formed in 2021 after the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The launch of Citroen is the third attempt by French auto giant Peugeot, the primary driving brand of PSA Group, to make its mark in the Indian automotive industry. Citroen India was established in 2019 with two production facilities – a vehicle assembly plant in Thiruvallur and a powertrain production plant in Hosur, catering to local sales and exports.
 
Key Milestones In India : The foundation stone of Citroen in India was laid by the formation of a partnership between Groupe PSA, the parent company of Citroen, and CK Birla Group from India. Under this partnership, two joint ventures were formed, through which the manufacturing of powertrains and vehicles and the distribution of vehicles across the country were decided.
While Citroen was set to debut in India in 2020, it was delayed due to COVID-19 breakdown and industry slowdown due to the lockdown that followed it. However, after a delay of almost a year, Citroen launched the C5 Aircross as its debut product in India. With this, the C5 Aircross became the first-ever product to be manufactured by Citroen in India at its manufacturing facility in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu.
Post its unveil in February 2021, the Citroen C5 Aircross was launched in April 2021 in two variants, both of which came with a diesel automatic powertrain as standard. However, the first significant mass market move by Citroen India came in the form of a C3 hatchback in September 2021, which was eventually launched in early 2022.
The C3 hatchback was the first product under Citroen India’s C-Cubed program, which also saw the launches of more products like eC3 (the electric version of C3), C3 Aircross (a premium compact SUV) and Basalt (an SUV coupe version of the C3 Aircross). All these models under the C-Cubed program are manufactured in India with almost 90 per cent localisation content.
 
Product Range And Segments : With the C-Cubed program products, which include C3 hatchback, eC3 electric hatchback, C3 Aircross premium compact SUV and Basalt SUV coupe, Citroen is focusing on generating volumes in the mass market end of the Indian automotive industry. Citroen also has the facelifted version of the C5 Aircross as its flagship product in India.
 
Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) : While Citroen has resorted to cost-cutting for its India-made products to keep costs in check, the French carmaker hasn’t compromised with its core values of delivering products that offer best-in-class ride comfort. In its initial survey prior to its debut with the C5 Aircross, Citroen India came up with the conclusion that comfort is one of the top priorities among car buyers. All of its products available in India are considered to have the best suspension setups, which make them very comfortable to drive or be driven in.
 
Technology And Innovation : The inventor of hydropneumatic suspension in vehicles, Citroen offers unparalleled comfort levels in all of its cars, ranging from the entry-level C3 to the flagship C5 Aircross. Citroen also offers one of the most affordable turbocharged petrol cars in the form of C3 Turbo, popularizing turbo-petrol acceptance in the entry-level category.
 
Sustainability And Future Goals : While Citroen currently focuses on petrol models, the French carmaker is actively studying the feasibility of electric vehicles in India. Citroen already has an eC3 hatchback on sale here, which is one of the most affordable electric cars one can buy in India. Citroen is also testing compact and mid-size SUVs with electric powertrains, which might see the green signal in the following months.
 
Customer Perception And Competitors : While Citroen has all the basics like performance, ride quality and driving dynamics in all of its vehicles, it also has attracted brickbats and criticism for not equipping the vehicles enough by modern standards. However, after studying the customer feedback, Citroen has introduced more features in its C-Cubed range of products, which are now better equipped than before, if not the best in their segment.
The entry-level Citroen C3 is pitted against SUV-styled hatchbacks like Maruti Suzuki Ignis and Tata Punch, whereas the Citroen eC3 electric hatchback goes against the Tata Punch EV. The Citroen C3 Aircross is a decent alternative to premium compact SUVs like the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Honda Elevate, Mahindra XUV3XO, MG Astor, Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq.
On the other hand, the Citroen Basalt goes against the Tata Curvv in the newly-formed SUV-coupe category. Lastly, the Citroen C5 Aircross has rivals like Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Tiguan, Hyundai Tucson and Jeep Meridian.
 
Closing Thoughts : Citroen might have had a lukewarm start in the Indian car market. However, Citroen has proved its commitment towards India with high localisation, excellent core engineering, consistent launch of new products and updates to existing products with new features. With the already-on-sale eC3 and new electric vehicles lined up for the future, Citroen can also leverage the rising demand for EVs.