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This will be true for other cars as well. Imagine how cheap it will be own a good sized cars if Govt tweaks the tax structure. All the manufacturers, who fail in India uses this as a standard excuse. Even Toyota uses it for not investing in India while Fortuner and Innova sells in so much number giving them one of the highest profits in the segment.

I agree, The Safari is a good option. 7 seats is not a requirement as such

Won't consider the T Roc, as Diesel engine is a must.

Thanks for the help!

Their biggest mistake is the pricing reveal date. Going with these prices, they should have done it at 9 am on April 1st; it would have given them time to see the response, get their heads screwed on right and save face courtesy the date, with a realistic price by 5pm the same day. If only!

Will consider the Safari and Kodiaq, but not the VW, as i need a diesel vehicle.

PSA group mistakes:

1. Should have launched Peugeot brand instead of Citroen. Peugeot lineup is better looking than Citroen. Peugeot models look more SUVish (boxy) unlike Citroen models which are crossovers (curvy).

2. They should have started with Indian-made models in Creta or Harrier segment vehicles. Peugeot 3008 and 5008 models would have been apt for these segments.

3. Pricing should be in line with the competition to even have a slight change for succeeding in India.

4. If they think their brands are premium, then they should have started selling e208, e2008 EVs along with the above-mentioned models.

Kodiaq wont come in diesel I guess so you would likely have to rule it out.

Best diesel AT upgrade options for you in my opinion (and depending on how long you can wait):

- Tata Safari / Harrier (immediate);
- Alcazar in diesel (its 3 rows and the current gen Creta / Alcazar has moved the game significantly on from the last gen)
- XUV 5OO (later this year)
- Tucson, next gen (but that will require a year / two wait but will be a PROPER upgrade to the Creta with a bigger engine as well unlike the Alcazar.)

Rofl this is just getting better and better for Citreon. While all the bashing they've received was well deserved, on top comes the news that the model they want people to pay ~40 big'uns for is going to be outdated come April 12. 4-days! Even if the model isn't going to come to market for a few more months and India probably never (what with the response Citreon will get on this one).

Monkeys apparently can churn out Shakespeare. And run car companies too!

Look at it this way.

If they had priced it properly (whatever that means) , we would have surely poked a hole through their overall India strategy, called them lazy and inefficient and the lot (which they are).

So this over pricing is a good distraction from the obvious problems of the brand in India.

Is it better than a Hector Twin? Maybe , is it good enough to pay 40L :Shockked: ? Maybe not.

Citroen got it all wrong in the pricing dept. The on-road price of this car will be somewhere near 40 lakhs INR and I don't think that is worth it. When they introduced a high-end product as their first product in India, at least they should have studied the market.

Overenthusiastic sales team perhaps. You look for European quality, you'll get a few better choices in that price range from VAG. Korean siblings are also there much lower, which offers a better value.

I think Jeep Compass makes more sense than the Citroen C5 in India. The suspension is great nonetheless. But that alone cannot demand this much.
Bad start Citroen, this is not France! :unhappy

If they really wanted to sell this car, they should have sensibly placed it below Jeep Compass to create hype.

I agree with your post.

1. The safari is a good option.
2. Alcazar, not so much an upgrade, just a longer car.
3. XUV500, would consider it, but I'm not sure about fit/finish, so may wait for consumer views.
4. Tucson (next gen), definitely a good option, seriously considering it.

Was tempted to for a used X3/Q3/Q5/GLC/GLE but, my vehicle usage tends to be quote high. 40K KM+ per year, i am concerned that the Germans may not be able to provide me the reliability I'm looking for.

I think (or trying to make sense) the pricing is done as per the wishes of those bigwigs of Stellantis - the big daddy created by PSA and FCA by merging themselves.

Just take a look at the pricing tree and you can see that the C5 starts almost where the Compass top-end ends.

Compass Model S 2.0D 4x4 AT @ 28.30L
Aircross C5 "Feel" rl: 2.0D AT @ 29.90

Now, for a layman's point of view, the pricing will create an impression (or illusion) that the Compass is suddenly VFM and / or the C5 is such a niche product it demands a premium over even Jeep. In either way it is apparently OK for Stellantis.

I said layman's point of view, not a TBHPian's.

This strategy will work provided Citroen launch some capable cars/ SUVs below this price point in the near future. Maybe they want to make Citroen an aspirational brand in India. They should do it immediately so that the brand and the dealer network survive.

RIP, Citroen.

Such a disconnect from ground reality.

Seemed like a decent product but this is naïve on part of Citroen management.

If the Management team and other workforce has been promised amazing salary packages based on sales performance I think its time for them to rethink their job profile and growth.

A fixed income component is going to go a longer way than pray that the C5 sells in greater numbers.

Why are we seeing the same trend repeating itself over and over again.
The last few launches are overpriced for the product that is.
I feel the Compass / Thar and C 5 are all in the same category .

Yes the Thar is special blah blah blah but one look at the interior quality and fit and finish and you are convinced that anyone who is interested in the Thar has to be beyond average well to do.

Similarly the Compass is really good but priced 5 lakhs more than what its worth.

Compass overpriced compared to what? Creta, Harrier or Seltos? Sir, I really want you to see the Compass facelift in a showroom especially the S variant.

Compass has 170 HP 2.0 diesel, 9-speed AUTO, AWD, Rear Independent Suspension and Even Fluid based Damping on all four corners. It also has all the features of the new Creta plus many more features than Hector and Harrier.
That AWD plus Independent Suspension, ZF 9 speed Auto, 170 diesel, Power Tailgate, Power Co-Driver seat is worth the extra.

The quality levels of Compass interior, the touchscreen fluidity and definition, awesome all-digital dials, Power Tailgate, and Co-Driver Seats, Quality of leather or 9 speaker Alpine System with Sub is clearly a segment higher than either Creta or Harrier, or Hector. Creta is like Verna, whereas Compass is like Elantra. Is Compass a size small for the price? Yes, but so are GLA, X1, and Q3. Jeep may not be perceived as high as the Germans in the premium image but is certainly more premium than Hyundai, TATA, or KIA- hence the positioning.

In fact, my 2013 Elantra has way more quality levels as well as ambiance than either Creta or Harrier. Compass easily trumps Elantra on quality and drive.

All my presumptions on Compass were thrown out of the window when I test drove it recently. Even the paint finish was way higher than Creta and the likes.

Coming to C5 Aircross here- I feel AWD capability is a missed opportunity here since the upcoming CKD Tiguan, current Tucson, and Compass all offer it with Diesel. But I guess Citroen doesn't offer AWD with C5 Aircross anywhere. The missing rear armrest is strange too.