Citroen Readies For Bigger India Innings With C3, Expects Up To 10 Per Cent Sales To Come From EV Mo

The upcoming Citroën C3 B-segment offering from the French carmaker will bring new benchmarks to the segment according to its CEO Vincent Cobée. It will also get a pure electric variant by next year – which the company expects will eventually account for up to 10 per cent of overall model sales in the mid-term. Citroën will launch another two models on the same CMP or ‘smart car' platform as the C3. These are expected to be a higher stance subcompact SUV or crossover and a 7-seater MPV. Citroën says it will not look to enter the price sensitive part of the market that sits below the C3 offering. All three cars are EV ready – and electrification was built into the development of the cars from word go. The EV version of the C3 will launch in India by mid-2023. 

Vincent Cobee - CEO, Citroen, was addressing the Indian media at a recent round table discussing the brand's future in the market

Cobée told carandbike, “When we unveiled the new C3 we said we are future ready. So the vehicles we launch are capable of full electrification. The new C3 will be capable of full electrification and there will be a 100 per cent electric version. Now, this will go in sync with the market readiness. The proportion – we can expect 5-10 per cent – but we will be ready for more."

Also Read: First Citroen EV For India Will Arrive Next Year, Two More Will Follow

The C3 will carry Citroën's trademark proposition of comfort and attractive design – something its first offering, the C5 Aircross was able to showcase to the Indian audience when it came to market last year. Besides this the car will also boast a crossover or SUV character in its higher ride position and posture, and will also have safety and technology as key pillars of the model's offer to market. The C3 will be positioned as a premium hatch and yet take on everything from traditional rivals like the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai i20, as well as some subcompact SUVs like the smaller Tata Punch or others like the Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. While Citroën insists it is not going to play a volumes game with the C3, it is still looking to carve a position for itself in the highly competitive and ever-expanding B-segment. “To be clear when you enter the B hatchback segment you need a certain presence because your offer needs to be attractive to the widest possible audience. The flipside of this is the complexity of the Indian market which is dominated by two major players. We have established a network of dealers, a sales process which is extremely innovative – combining online technology and physical presence, we have ticked the box with credibility for after sale service and roadside assistance, and financing as well. And that will give us the opportunity to have a substantial volume presence,” Cobée told us.

The Citroen C3 will be the brand' most affordable yet in India

The brand's parent Stellantis is aiming at very high levels of localisation on its India models – as much as 90 to 95 per cent in the case of Citroën. The EV variants will naturally not meet that target, but Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has also said the company will actively seek ways to achieve battery and other parts sourcing for EVs in India as soon as the opportunities present themselves. The company has a car manufacturing facility outside Chennai and a powertrain manufacturing unit in Hosur for engines and gearboxes. The cost competitive advantage it sees also sets up an export strategy for the C Cubed or smart car platform vehicles from its India operations. Cobée said, “When we are here there are two obvious destinations. One is the right-hand-drive African market which we all know has substantial demand and growth potential. The other one is ASEAN where several types of exports are possible. And to be honest I intend to expand the export destinations. We have some studies to make sure that this amazing country – not only as a market, but also as an industrial base is giving us a lot of opportunities.”  Post rollout of the 3 models off the smart car platform, Citroën also expects more synergies with sister company Jeep in India. A lot of efficiencies have already come into effect post the formation of Stellantis, that brought the two brands together. While these are mostly operational, areas like platform and powertrain are also now being studied closely in the Indian context to look at more cost sharing for the future portfolios at Jeep and Citroën in India.