[Bnr12]

Visited the Citroen showroom on Saturday. The showroom was empty except for a receptionist and a sales executive. The car looked good in real life than in the pictures. There were two cars on display and both of them were the lower end variants. The test drive vehicle wasn’t available and the sales person mentioned that even it was the lower end variant. I spent only a few minutes with the vehicle and felt the seats were very comfortable. Rear armrest is absent. The sales executive didn’t allow to switch on the ignition. As per the executive the lower trim will cost somewhere around 35 lakhs and the top end around 37 lakhs on road in Hyderabad. The service center will be shared with their Jeep service center in Miyapur. As per the executive, the complimentary maintenance package will be offered to a limited number of customers but didn’t mention the number. If the on road price is going to exceed 31 or 32 lakhs, I feel like this will be dead on arrival.

[TusharK]

The Citroen C5 Aircross will be officially launched on April 7, 2021.

The C5 Aircross is the brand's first product for the Indian market. The SUV will be offered in two variants - Feel and Shine.



The C5 Aircross comes equipped with LED projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights, LED tail lamps and 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels.

On the inside, the C5 Aircross gets features such as an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment head-unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 6-speaker audio system, Comfort Seats, electrically adjustable driver seat, 2-zone automatic climate control and panoramic sunroof, among others.

The C5 Aircross is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine producing 174 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 400 Nm @ 2,000 rpm. The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The SUV rides on Citroen's Progressive Hydraulic Cushions suspension.

[GTO]

See what I mean? The French just don't get India. People were talking about the C5 AirCross in Feb when the reviews came out, March we're sort of moving onto other cars and by April, the car will be old news. There is hardly any marketing or promotion for the C5 AirCross either.

The 7th April launch is too late. Should've had it in Feb-Mar. They even missed the financial year-ending March car buying rush. What the hell kind of planning is that?

[kushagra452]

Originally Posted by GTO

See what I mean? The French just don't get India. People were talking about the C5 AirCross in Feb when the reviews came out, March we're sort of moving onto other cars and by April, the car will be old news. There is hardly any marketing or promotion for the C5 AirCross either.

The 7th April launch is too late. Should've had it in Feb-Mar. They even missed the financial year-ending March car buying rush. What the hell kind of planning is that?

Agreed. I feel Skoda/VAG is also making the same mistake with the Kushaq and Taigun By the time these products launch people might have moved on. I simply don't understand the long drawn out car launches these days. From spy pics to the actual prices and TDs is almost 12 months!

[yd_gli]

Originally Posted by GTO

What the hell kind of planning is that?

The dealership experience is even worse. I went three, repeat three times to get a test drive and still haven't got one. The sales reps all seem to be full of themselves having drunk a drum of Citroen koolaid. They all dress like they are on a fashion ramp somewhere in Paris but can't attend to a customer on time.

The test drive car is never available. All I keep getting is Whatsapp spam with the same brochure over and over again. No one from the dealership has bothered to follow up regarding a test drive. I asked about the service center location and they couldn't give me a good answer. At ~37L OTR it'll sink without a trace with such awful customer service.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Aditya

If priced well, it can do reasonably well in India.
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.
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Citroen MUST price the C5 Aircross competitively.
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If it overprices the car, then it will sink without a trace like say...the Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai Santa Fe and so many other expensive SUVs by non-premium brands.
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Keeping all of these points in mind and the fact that it is a truly premium car, we have our finger's crossed for a VFM price.

Originally Posted by GTO

Hope they price it well. Kia & MG have proven that Indian customers will accept a fresh new brand if the product is good (which the C5 Aircross is) and the price is right. Am concerned about the pricing as the French haven't always understood India well (even in industries other than automobiles). Am sure it's not going to be cheap with that 8-speed AT, blind spot monitoring system, insane levels of insulation etc., but it had better offer good value when launched. VALUE is key.

Originally Posted by GTO

If they price it well, the car will be one of my top recommendations.

It seems from whatever we're hearing that the Shine variant will be approx 37 -38 lakh on road while the Feel might be 35 - 36 lakh on road.

IF indeed it launches at these kind of on road prices, what would you say in the context of the above observations? To what extent do you think it would have busted its ideal price point in your views at these levels? If at all of course.

Personally I feel the top of line's correct retail price ought to be around 33 -34 lakh on road - max! Not sure they're going to be anywhere close to that though.

[CarJunki]

Is the shortage of ECU a contributing factor?
Quite perplexing to see such simple misses in terms of launch.
I somehow have a feel that price is going to be competitive.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by GTO

See what I mean? The French just don't get India.

Totally agree! As a matter of fact, I completely forgot about the Aircross. It is just when I saw the launch news on the homepage did I realise that we have a car coming from Citroen. Sigh!

People have already moved on to the news / excitement about the upcoming launches, especially the Kushaq. I get that both are from different price segments, yet a good marketting is what keeps a new launch in focus; which unfortunately is lacking in the Citroen.

[hrishig]

Originally Posted by yd_gli

The dealership experience is even worse. I went three, repeat three times to get a test drive and still haven't got one. The sales reps all seem to be full of themselves having drunk a drum of Citroen koolaid. They all dress like they are on a fashion ramp somewhere in Paris but can't attend to a customer on time.

The test drive car is never available. All I keep getting is Whatsapp spam with the same brochure over and over again. No one from the dealership has bothered to follow up regarding a test drive. I asked about the service center location and they couldn't give me a good answer. At ~37L OTR it'll sink without a trace with such awful customer service.

Pune Baner showroom has two test cars available. I took a test drive last week and the car is extremely comfortable. I went on a weekday. First I took TD of safari then went to the C5 showroom. I saw customers from different segments ( CRV,Creta) taking TD. Overall good experience.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by CarJunki

Is the shortage of ECU a contributing factor?

That doesn't stop them from launching the car and prices! The deliveries can always be pushed to a month or two.

[yd_gli]

Originally Posted by hrishig

Overall good experience.

Good to know that not all have had my experience. Even then a patchy customer experience is not something that inspires confidence. A new brand should put it's best foot forward with all colours and variants available on the showroom floor from day one. Else they risk alienating the informed buyer.

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The Citroen C5 Aircross will be officially launched on April 7, 2021.

Wow, this is a textbook lesson on "how not to enter a very demanding car market with a unheard brand". Outside TBHP, I wonder if people are even aware of the brand Citroen ! They should have studied how Kia entered the Indian car scene, aggressive campaigning, wide range of variants and one successful car after another. Citroen seems to have followed Tata's way of car launch . Show the car to the public, make all the noise for design and then go silent for a year.
By the time Citroen does launch the C5 Aircross, the new XUV 500 would be the top seller. Wonder why would anyone go for the Citroen ?

[Adam]

They should have launched it bit earlier, also they need to price it competitively in India to grab mass attention.
The development timelines of Stelantis products in India is quite high in my opinion and its happening for their upcoming CC21 and CC24 projects too. By the time they launch the products the initial hype of new brand, vehicles etc. will wore off, so unless and until the car is exceptionally good and priced well it will become difficult to sell even if the design is good. Not just French, European car makers as a whole need to understand Indian market bit more.
Also I'm quite not sure how well Indian mass market will accept Citroen Quirky designs

[Eshan Joshi]

Originally Posted by Adam

I'm quite not sure how well Indian mass market will accept Citroen Quirky designs

If people can accept the Creta's design , they will definitely accept the C5's design.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Eshan Joshi

If people can accept the Creta's design , they will definitely accept the C5's design.

Slight correction there - people accepted Hyundai's design in a Creta