[sushan]

Citroen C3 aircross definitely is a looker! The proportions are good and the car is well proportioned. Manual AC is a definite cringe in the segment though. But inclusion of automatic is a plus (they missed out on it in C3).


What remains to be seen is the pricing and how citroen positions the car in the market. Millennials and car buyers looking for a sensible family car will definitely be interested. To find success, citroen must be ready to reach out and convince potential customers with the value proposition more than its brand identity. That means more showrooms, proactive marketing and developing a loyal customer base. Citroen now has a product that has the potential to be the talk of the town. This requires upfront investment and a willingness to play the long game. Indian car market is not a game you succeed at overnight. It requires consistent effort to find success here.

[ashutoshb]

They are pretty confident on the performance of the 1.2 Turbo petrol, despite the added weight.

Its true that every reviewer has been all praises about the engine, while testing the C3.

Lets wait and see how have they tuned it up for the Aircross.

OD interview:

https://youtu.be/2yZYWuWTU-I

[guptad42]

Citroen's target could be the 4 Suzuki cars - Brezza, Ertiga/XL6, Grand Vitara. Suzuki sold a combined 37,000 cars from these labels last month. Citroen will be very happy with hardly 7-10% of that.

Under this theory, the 7-seater option targets Ertiga buyers with a premium option and a more SUV shape. Ertiga has no outside competition today.

Judging by C3 and eC3, Citroen has a strange trait of making solid cars that don't get their fair share of sales success because the product misaligns with the market strategy.

For example, C3 Aircross leaves out features that are seen as basic markers for a premium product in India - like LED headlights, taillights, and turn indicators. The 1.2 turbo is a good engine, could be adequate for the car, but is weak for the segment. And Suzuki's 1.5L is very smooth.

So, the missing features better be indicators of aggressive VFM pricing. The 'partially premium' C3 Aircross could undercut the Brezza and Ertiga. But it is very tough to compete with Suzuki on price because of their high volumes.

Citroen needs to wake up and launch an automatic at the same time. Offering an AT from the base version onwards could be a good tactic, as Suzuki sells ATs from mid-variant upwards making the AT entry price point much higher. That could be one way to steal customers from Suzuki.

[TheBigV]

https://twitter.com/thekaipullai/sta...ru-yYdYTw&s=19

An interesting thread on Citreon marketing in India.

[W.A.G.7]

Well, for a change the car looks promising. But as everyone has pointed out, with all this messed-up design strategy, time will tell whether the car succeeds or not. Not having an automatic in this car is a bad idea. My thought is that although the car will turn out to be "okay-ish" specs-wise when they actually start selling it, it will still bomb due to poor pricing strategy.

[Zinger_Winger]

Seems like a vehicle with fantastic vehicle and hopefully build along with great pricing! My only gripe and mantra all future purchases is 'No Auto, no buy', it's that simple.
With my ACL reconstructed knees and penchant for diesel engines, I've just become lazy in wanting a TC (slush-box) / DCT gearbox in all my vehicles henceforth.
No more 50 times clutch-1-clutch-2-clutch-1-clutch-2-clutch-1-clutch-2 for a stretch of 2 kms, cannot imagine doing that any longer. And I'm out to replace my aging Swift vDI, they probably lost a customer already and if this is how they're going for India, in a seemingly ill-planned manner, I can foresee another GM/Mitsubishi/Ford happening (hope not!).

[84.monsoon]

Looking at the fairly bare bones interior and an MT that is prominently featured, as well as the aspiration for a high level of localization, I think Citroen may be aiming to price this car very aggressively. If they can launch a mid-spec trim priced below Rs. 10 lakh, that would be a real coup! Not impossible given the platform and engine is already in production and economies of scale can be gained fairly quickly.

[Astargea]

Originally Posted by TheBigV

https://twitter.com/thekaipullai/sta...ru-yYdYTw&s=19

An interesting thread on Citreon marketing in India.

Had to stop reading halfway because the guy does not know the difference between marketing and product planning.

I know several marketing guys that work for car companies (not in India) and let me tell you - they don't have a say on what engine should a car use. That's completely on product planning people, and to an extent, the development team (in Citroen's case, many of them are back in France)

[sagsaw]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Looking at the fairly bare bones interior and an MT that is prominently featured, as well as the aspiration for a high level of localization, I think Citroen may be aiming to price this car very aggressively. If they can launch a mid-spec trim priced below Rs. 10 lakh, that would be a real coup! Not impossible given the platform and engine is already in production and economies of scale can be gained fairly quickly.

If thats the case then where will the profits come from?

How will showrooms survive?

Barebones entry variant may start 8.99L but dont think mid variant would be so cheap

AC PS 2 Airbags ABS Only

[Kochikaran]

There was a time when European brands & some Japanese brands would bring their CKD cars to India as Halo cars. They will bring it in with all the bells and whistles, with huge engines and packed with features. Of course they never expect to sell much but exist to show what the brand is capable of. And then you have this… I am tired of giving such brands anymore excuses. There is no shame is learning from the Koreans. Europeans better up their game.

[Kosfactor]

Some difficult questions raised by Autocar's Hormazd to Citroen during this occasion. No doubt Hormazd knows far more the Citroen

https://youtu.be/8aVW40E7qHw

Some of these questions can be asked to VAG bosses also.

[volkman10]

New Citroën SUV C3 Aircross, as seen in LATM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umFgH151Ozw&t=2s

[sagsaw]

Top End Manual 5 seater may be priced 13.99L ex shwrm with a 133/155 hp 1.2 liter petrol

Base 5 seater could start 8.99L with 1.2 liter petrol 110 hp petrol

My guess based on fact that C3 hatch turbo variants have been discontinued

Mod Note: Our Citroen C3 Aircross Report has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!