Citroen C3

Citroen has taken the covers off its new C3 compact SUV. With length under the sub-four-metre mark, the C3 is all set to enter the highly lucrative segment in India. The C3 will also be the second product of the carmaker for India with the C5 Aircross being the first one that was launched earlier this year.

The design and styling of the C3 are in typical Citroen fashion. The two slat chrome front grille is flanked by LED daytime running lights while the head lamp clusters are housed further down on the bumper. The front bumper houses the circular fog lamps with a contrasting colour outline. Talking about the contrast colour, Citroen will offer the C3 with a host of dual-tone exterior paint schemes. On the side, the thick plastic cladding and the prominent wheel arches lend the C3 a strong SUV-ish appeal. Then, there is the floating roof design, black roof rails, blacked-out A and B-pillars, and dual-tone alloy wheels. Moving to the rear, the C3 maintains its squarish elements with box-type tail lamps, a strong crease line adjoining the light clusters, and a silver faux plate at the bottom of the rear bumper.

The cabin of the C3 like the exterior carries forward the two-tone theme. While the French carmaker has stated that the C3 compact SUV will be available in personalised colours for the interior, the one we see here has an orange portion on the centre of the dashboard with silver accents. The centre gets a neat-looking free-standing touchscreen infotainment system and a phone clamp. The aircon vents at the centre are placed horizontally while the ones at either end are in a vertical position. Besides this are the flat-bottom steering wheel, USB charging ports, and a manual air conditioner. The space as claimed by Citroen is 315 litres of boot space.

While the engine specifications are still under wraps, we expect the C3 to be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine with manual and automatic transmissions. With the Citroen stepping its foot into the highly competitive segment in the first half of 2022, the C3 is now up against the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Honda WR-V, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Nissan Magnite, and the Renault Kiger.