[TusharK]

Ace cricketer MS Dhoni was recently appointed as the brand ambassador for Citroen in India. Now, the carmaker has revealed a special edition C3 Aircross named after him.



The Citroen C3 Aircross Dhoni Edition gets a dual-tone exterior with unique decals and ‘Dhoni Edition’ graphics on the front doors. It also has illuminated door sills, themed cushions, seat belt cushions and a front dash cam.

Additionally, customers who book the C3 Aircross Dhoni Edition get a chance to win assured merchandise designed in collaboration with MS Dhoni.



Powering the C3 Aircross Automatic is a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces 109 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 205 Nm @ 1,750-2,500 rpm. The engine is mated with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic.

Link to Team-BHP News

[TheHelix0202]

Marketing scam. Instead of fixing their product on a fundamental level, they’re trying to make a quick buck out of people’s emotions.

And no, I won’t ever stand comparisons between this thing and the S10 Palio.

[Sk8r]

Even as a CSK and Dhoni fan, I wouldn’t touch this with a barge stick. Can it get more cringy ?

Seriously, what is wrong with Citroen

[CentreOfGravity]

There couldn't have been a greater opportunity for Citroën to add more features to the C3 Aircross, yet they royally missed it. Well played Dhoni.. err, Citroën . What the hell are they waiting for / depending on? Citroën is no Dhoni who can change the course of the game at the last moment. Unlike a cricket match, the automotive scene is very predictable and as I see it, Citroën is losing this tournament badly.

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

And no, I won’t ever stand comparisons between this thing and the S10 Palio.

Couldn't agree more.

[Ayu8648]

Unbelievable! Despite the Palio S10 (which was a way better car than the C3 Aircross) being a flop, Citroen has gone ahead and made the same mistake. They've still not understood where to spend money in marketing. Gone are the days when people used to relate cars with brand ambassadors and buy them. Citroen needs to really improve their marketing game or their fantastic cars will be let down.

[MiamiBlue]

There was a MS Dhoni special edition of the Alto K10 too. I've seen it only once in BLR. as Citroens are already quite rare I hope I will not see this.

[Samegoodkid]

All those who are talking about the product being no good, pls go and take a test drive of the new car. There is more to the car than just features and this one has its fundamentals sorted. It is a no nonsense, fun to drive and spacious car. It has all the features that I need and yes, I can live with rotating knobs for AC. Don’t think auto climate control is a must have feature ( at-least for me!)

Enough for me to have it in my top three shortlists.

I was surprised at the amount of negativity this car has received by the key board warriors.

One thing that disappointed me though is the fact that even after announcing 6 airbags as standard, the actual car with 6 airbags is not yet into production. The car would be delivered only in August.

Citroen, if you are listening, pls launch the BLU edition of C3 Aircross! I am waiting.

[sagsaw]

Originally Posted by Samegoodkid

All those who are talking about the product being no good, pls go and take a test drive of the new car. There is more to the car than just features and this one has its fundamentals sorted

Fully agreed.

If Citroen had same number of showrooms as Kia Hyundai and Maruti then it would have sold in huge numbers. There are many customer who buy a vehicles to travel from point A to point B in comfort especially those who buy base, second base and mid variants of other brands.

[Samegoodkid]

Citroen needs to create brand awareness amongst Indian consumers. Most of the buyers haven’t even heard of the brand, let alone knowing what they are capable of. Look at Kia and MG, relatively unknown brand when they entered India, but they entered with a bang!!
IMHO, roping Dhoni as brand ambassador is a good step forward.
All Citroen needs to do now is to communicate what they stand for. They have all the basic features covered. I don’t think they are looking for a Maruti/ Hyundai/Kia numbers and would have conservative targets in India.
I am sure they can achieve that and stay profitable in India. The question should be how are the dealers going to sustain themselves.
And no ,I don’t think they are packing their bags yet!!

[The Pianist]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Ace cricketer MS Dhoni was recently appointed as the brand ambassador for Citroen in India. Now, the carmaker has revealed a special edition C3 Aircross named after him.

Hopefully it helps them like SRK with Hyundai.
They will need to push it further by improving the number of touch points.

[ritzy]

Originally Posted by Samegoodkid

All those who are talking about the product being no good, pls go and take a test drive of the new car. There is more to the car than just features and this one has its fundamentals sorted. It is a no nonsense, fun to drive and spacious car. It has all the features that I need and yes, I can live with rotating knobs for AC. Don’t think auto climate control is a must have feature ( at-least for me!)

Enough for me to have it in my top three shortlists.

I was surprised at the amount of negativity this car has received by the key board warriors.

I drive a C3 turbo and I can relate to it. Apart from a few minor issues (which the Pune dealer promptly resolved—very courteous and helpful people), I find it to be an exceptional car. Every time I navigate it on the Mumbai-Bangalore bypass—where traffic is a mix of open stretches and dense areas—it brings a big smile to my face. The car boasts well-sorted suspension, a small turning radius, comfortable seats, and a highly responsive engine. The air conditioning is remarkably effective. Honestly, I don’t feel the need for additional features; it’s a highly competitive car.

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by Samegoodkid

All those who are talking about the product being no good, pls go and take a test drive of the new car.

Taken a test drive. Yawn inducing and underwhelming.

Originally Posted by Samegoodkid

There is more to the car than just features and this one has its fundamentals sorted.

Agreed on the first point.

Would say the car is nothing but fundamental in reply to the second point. And for the price, there are better options than a jacked up French econo-hatch with questionable aftersales support in a market dominated by the East Asian giants.

Originally Posted by Samegoodkid

It is a no nonsense, fun to drive and spacious car. It has all the features that I need and yes, I can live with rotating knobs for AC. Don’t think auto climate control is a must have feature ( at-least for me!)... Enough for me to have it in my top three shortlists.

Great to hear that you are enjoying the car (if you own it), but I don't think the whole market is fine with what you think are enough features. Again, for the price it demands, it's a very rudimentary and underwhelming car. Except for the decently pliant suspension, which the SA sang too high a praise for (it doesn't have a shade on the old Renault Duster), and the adequately powerful engine, there was nothing about this car that stood out.

Originally Posted by Samegoodkid

I was surprised at the amount of negativity this car has received by the key board warriors.

I don't see any hate here, it's just people expressing their concerns about a poor marketing scheme that many have clearly fallen for. It's always good to demand for a better product. Since when does calling out a product for being underwhelming come under the title of "negativity" and their opinion makers "keyboard warriors"? By the same measure, those vehemently defending said product could be called a keyboard fanboy! All opinions are welcome here as much as yours are.

[arjab]

Instead of ramping up dealer network at a rapid pace, investing in high visibility advertising campaigns, long test drives for target consumer groups: some dude at Citroen decides to plonk in Dhoni stickered cushions, decals and other gee-gaws and try to sell cars.
For heaven's sake Citroen: your car's are mechanically very well engineered and sorted out. Admittedly there are many missing bits but there are a lot of customers out there who are looking at a competitively priced car which they can use for their daily transportation needs and will not lose much sleep over missing features.

But they need to know you. They need to see you. See your showrooms. See your demo cars roaming their towns and cities. See your product's billboards, TV ad's, Mobile Ad's etc. See you participating in each and every town and city road shows.
Do you know how many people even till now ask: "Citroen, who?" "Car?" "What car do they make?"

I am from Eastern India and just for a lark, I decided to search on your official website, Citroen, for your showroom locations in various cities in India. Voila! Look what i found!

Siliguri: (the gateway to North - East India)
When i searched for "Citroen Siliguri" showroom, surprise, surprise: I was shown the nearest Citroen dealership is available in Thimphu, Bhutan. That's another country!

Bhubaneswar: (capital of Odisha)
No Citroen dealer available in the entire state!

Guwahati: (capital of Assam, the largest state of North-East & a business hub)
No Citroen dealer!

Burdwan: (very important Tier-2 town in West Bengal and a hub for doctors and wealthy rice mill owners)
You guessed it! No Citroen dealer! Closest shown is Kolkata Citroen dealer, which is 130 kms away!

If this is the state of affairs, then Citroen, please do not blame the Indian customer for not "knowing" your products!
It is already been more than two years since you started retailing your cars. As it is your vehicle's are specc'd at poverty levels. You did redeem it by incorporating the minimum "expected" specs in certain variants - that's a good sign. But where does one go to take a look at it, touch it, feel it and take a test drive?

Please remember car buying in India is still a very emotional purchase. Particularly in the B, B+ and C segment in which you are operating most of these purchases will be the primary purchase for the family.
As an OEM it is your responsibility to re-assure the customer that they are in safe hands when they buy your product and if you do not have a storefront even in major Tier-2 towns and cities, do you think MS Dhoni will be able to placate your customer and convince them to part with their hard earned money?

Wake up Citroen! Before it is too late!
Your cars certainly do not deserve this kind of lethargic and lackadaisical marketing attitude.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by arjab

For heaven's sake Citroen: your car's are mechanically very well engineered and sorted out.

But they need to know you. They need to see you. See your showrooms. See your demo cars roaming their towns and cities.

Bhubaneswar: (capital of Odisha)
No Citroen dealer available in the entire state!

Guwahati: (capital of Assam, the largest state of North-East & a business hub)
No Citroen dealer!

Very well put arjab, Citroen needs to smell the coffee and need to put their cars into the minds of the prospective customers. Or else, despite being present with competent products, they will soon find it tough in this cut throat country of ours.

In fact, now that you have mentioned, Guwahati and Cuttack did have Citroen dealers only few months back if I remember correctly. Something tells me that those might have shut shop and that is why the website shows no presence in the region right now. Citroen management needs to come up with plans to ramp up the dealer network and provide enough incentives to not let the present dealers shut shop. Only using decals of Dhoni will perhaps not really help in building confidence among the dealers and surely not amongst the customers as well !!

[VW2010]

I think it is perfectly fine to judge someone who buys this for the gimmicks thrown along with it.

Great job from Dhoni to make some quick buck considering even Citroen is around full-time retirement from India.

Disappointing is not an understatement.