Citroen C3 Aircross SUV snapped testing in India, EV derivative confirmed

Citroen will bring the all-electric eC3 Aircross SUV by 2025. The petrol-powered Citroen C3 Aircross SUV will go on sale first – most likely later this year in India – followed by other markets. The EV powertrain option on the upcoming C3 Aircross was confirmed by Citroen's branding executive Laurent Barria to Autocar India’s sister publication, Autocar UK. 

The C3 Aircross SUV was spied testing on Indian soil recently, showing that it will come with five- and seven-seat layouts. While the petrol-powered C3 Aircross is expected to be launched in India later this year, the all-electric C3 Aircross is still some time away and will only go on sale sometime next year.

Citroen eC3 Aircross: exterior design

Barria added that the car will focus on “accessibility to electric mobility”. While camouflage serves to distort its looks, it is expected that the C3 Aircross’s design is likely to borrow cues from the C3 hatchback and also the facelifted C5 Aircross SUV, both of which are on sale in India currently. It will come with chunky tyres and an abundance of cladding to meet customer demands for rugged-looking SUVs. 

The new C3 Aircross will be slightly larger than the outgoing model that is sold abroad, with a boxier profile. It will be around 4.3 metres long, which would make it more or less the size of the Hyundai Creta sold in India.

Spy shots have confirmed that a large split radiator grille is present alongside production-specification headlights with an LED daytime running strip that curves upwards and toward the windscreen much more. At the rear, a portion of the lights is exposed to show a striped design, while the boxy bodywork makes it appear less like a crossover. A design of this type could mean more space inside for occupants and their luggage. 

Citroen eC3 Aircross: interior layout, platform 

Inside, the C3 Aircross will have a new dashboard layout compared to the Citroen C3 hatchback but will carry over some elements such as the steering wheel and switchgear. The high-mounted touchscreen housing is also new compared to the hatchback. While the HVAC controls and vents look basic in these pictures, higher variants could also get automatic climate control. The SUV will get five- and seven-seat layouts, as reported by us earlier. 

As far as platform goes, expect the new C3 Aircross SUV to sit on PSA's modular eCMP architecture that also underpins the eC3 electric hatchback.

Citroen C3 Aircross' interior shows a basic layout.

Citroen eC3 Aircross: expected price and rivals

When it launches in India in 2025, we expect the eC3 Aircross to have an aggressive starting price – a similar strategy that is expected to be seen on the eC3 hatchback when it launches here. Expect the eC3 Aircross to rival the likes of the Creta EV, Seltos EV and Maruti's eVX EV SUV, all three models are expected to be on sale by 2025 in the Indian market. 

Images: Gokul