[2cents]

Do they have a manufacturing plant already!! Or did Peugeot leave anything behind in a workable condition? Can someone share details.

[pannags]

Originally Posted by volkman10

It's official: Citroen has confirmed the C5 Aircross SUV as its first model for India, set to be launched in 2020.Will start operations in India with over 90 percent localisation, and this should reflect in competitive pricing for the C5 Aircross.

Whoa! this is some news. A big fan of Citroen's minimalistic yet trendy designs.

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Secondly, dealers need to give the public a superlative showroom experience, and for at least a couple of years, an equally superlative service experience too.

Originally Posted by GTO

But just wondering about their strategy and how exactly they intend to differentiate or roll out a compelling option.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Cirtoen's TVC for India

The message from the campaign in the video screams DIGITAL!

They seem to be betting big on what they call ATAWADAC experience - Anytime Anywhere Any Device Any Content!

Citroen plans, or rather expects, to realise a good proportion of sales through digital platforms and is seen talking about heavy customisation, doorstep delivery, mobile-units for anywhere service etc.- most of them, a first for any mainstream car maker.

For an already crowded market and segment, while the differentiation strategy is not obvious, they certainly seem to be "thinking out of the showroom".

[NAVREVV]

One question:- if Captur Crossover being a French brand car failed miserably then how Citroen will ensure that their C5 crossover survives successfully?

[racer_ash]

Every car maker seems to want to launch a 'Premium' offering in India, irrespective of their positioning abroad. I still dont understand why brands like Citroen want to call themselves premium. In reality, they are anything but Premium.

I look forward to the car buying public only plonk their money where there is actual premiumness, else the day is not far when India becomes a market of only premium brands.

[octane_100]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

Every car maker seems to want to launch a 'Premium' offering in India, irrespective of their positioning abroad.

One of the reasons may be is the state of our market itself. In the west, the Peugeots, Renaults, VW and Skoda are mass market brands and till recently Hyundai and Kia were half a level down.

In India, we have the Suzukis, Tatas and Mahindras making up the mass market segment (purely from a brand perspective) and every new entrant who doesn't want to be directly compared with them try to assume a premium position.

This has also got to do with people's perception of a car in our market. Majority still look at it as a priced possession and customers want some "premiumness" attached to their car regardless of the segment and price point they are shopping in. You may also note that most of the "value/utility" driven propositions like Nano, Logan, Etios twins have utterly failed in our market.

[sgiitk]

So basic queries:

Is it Hydropneumatique?

Normally Citroen engines were pretty 'agricultural'. I hope they in real life are also as good as the specs.

One can assume in typical French pattern the tyres will be large. Local and D roads in France can be pretty bad,

All said our best wishes to Citroen!

[karan561]

Currently in London and just got off an Citroen C4 space tourer (my uber ride). Really impressed with its funky design, spacious interior with huge glass areas (infact one of the largest windscreen in business).
God ! The French can design good looking cars;


Was really attractive, fun & desirable for an MPV/Van to be honest

[pannags]

Citroen sets Up India Technical Centre to offer employees top notch training.

Excerpts from the report:

Ahead of Citroen's first car being launched in India, Groupe PSA has set up a technical training centre in India. Groupe PSA is the parent company of Citroen and it wants to ensure the success of the brand in India. Hence, the institute named India Technical Centre (ITC) has been set up near Chennai to train Citroen employees.

Earlier this year, Citroen showcased the C5 Aircross SUV and confirmed the brand's launch in India. The Citroen C5 Aircross is expected to be launched in 2020 and deliveries are expected to begin early in 2021. The Citroen C5 Aircross will be produced at the CK Birla Group's plant in Tamil Nadu.

Citroen will also be taking time to set up their infrastructure in India which includes dealerships, service centres, spare parts stocks, R&D department, etc. Groupe PSA and Citroen is aware that a well-equipped training centre to train its employees across all sectors is very much necessary to thrive in a new market.

The Citroen C5 Aircross will be launched with petrol and diesel engines. Specifications of the engines are unclear at the moment. In International markets, the SUV is powered by two diesel engines and one petrol engine. The 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines produce 128bhp while the 2.0-litre diesel produces 178bhp. Manual and automatic gearboxes are available with all three engines.

Full report: Drivespark

Edit: Mods, please remove if not appropriate for this thread.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

......Normally Citroen engines were pretty 'agricultural'........

True - but so were most of the earlier automotive diesels, including the 3-pointed star products! But regarding their current iterations, since they have been doing so well in the WRC circuits, one could say that their agricultural roots are well & truly behind them!

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

So basic queries:

Is it Hydropneumatique?

Normally Citroen engines were pretty 'agricultural'. I hope they in real life are also as good as the specs.



All said our best wishes to Citroen!

Over the past 30 years, most Citroen engines barring the 2 CV have been Peugeot engines, so I dont think the "agricultural" label stand true

[shashanka]

Its great to know that the C5 is NCAP compliant in both standard & safety enhanced versions. I feel that today, for us in India, the T-BHP review is the only one worth waiting for. All others, including the TG & AutoCar reviews, are today just also rans, each with their own axe to grind.

My one wish/hope is that the C5 Aircross being launched in India does indeed comply with the 2020 norms & does not, like some other manufacturers, offer one thing for international markets & something else for the domestic one.

It would be a pity for us to be offered a unique product like the Citroen, and then for the buyer to loose that flavour because of mindless games by the mfr.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by NAVREVV

One question:- if Captur Crossover being a French brand car failed miserably then how Citroen will ensure that their C5 crossover survives successfully?

That seems a very odd question, almost like a fait accompli!

Like saying that because M&M failed in the US, how will other other Indian manufacturers (Maruti, TML ...) ensure their products' success in the same market!

Maruti-Suzuki is such an ubiquitous name in India that even street urchins (who unfortunately maybe otherwise totally illiterate) know & pronounce Maruti easily. But Datsun, Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi (also from Japan) are nowhere near Maruti in the box-office stakes.

[wheelguy]

According to a report by Autocar, Citroen will introduce only diesel automatic variants of C5 Aircross in India. Most probably will be equipped with 131hp 1.5L diesel mill and 8-speed torque converter. The other probable diesel engine is 2.0L 180hp variant.

Rear gets three individual seats that can independently slide and fold.

The rear-seat cushions feel just as good, but by design, the C5 Aircross is a better five-seater than a four-seater. How so? Citroën has fitted the C5 with three equal-sized seats at the back, all of which can be individually tilted and adjusted for length. This is great if you regularly travel five-up as the middle passenger no longer has to be the one who’s drawn the short straw. However, to make it equal for all three, the two side seats aren’t that wide. So, if you mainly travel in the back alone or with another passenger, you’ll miss the extra width. This five-full-seat configuration may work well in Europe where the C5 Aircross is essentially a family car. But in India, at the price point it will be sold, this car will largely be chauffeur-driven and owners may want a bigger, more armchair-like pair of seats with a cushy flip-down armrest to lounge in.

Source: Autocar India

[motorworks]

On one side Citroen seems to be taking about modular, small showrooms with minimal retail footprint. And on the other, the first car is a 30 lakh Cross over! If you are seen as a small, niche brand with very small showrooms, it becomes difficult to convert customers to buy a 30 lakh SUV. Not saying that one needs massive showrooms, but you need to make a splash in India like Kia and MG did, in terms of launch preparedness thru pretty heavy marketing. Citroen seems to have a very subtle approach in this, at least as of now.

Also, in my opinion, launching a 30 lakh SUV is not going to help a new company like Citroen in the current conditions. Even an age old player like VW is not able to generate more than 200-300 units of Tiguan every month. And the old strategy of launching a premium car first, to build image of the brand and then launch lower down the price ladder is not so relevant any more. Like MG and Kia, your first product has to be relevant and sharp. Else the market just moves on.

[volkman10]

Citroen plans on launching one all-new model in India in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

These models will be manufactured and launched in India, before being taken to other parts of the world, indicative of the brand’s commitment to the Indian market.

Link