French carmaker Citroen in India has begun commercial production and rolled out the first Citroën C5 Aircross SUV, from its manufacturing facility in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. A couple of year ago, Groupe PSA had signed two joint ventures with companies of India’s CK Birla Group for vehicle assembly, distribution and powertrain manufacturing of its cars in India.

The flagship SUV is the first product from the Citroën brand for the Indian market and is slated to be launched in this quarter, sometime in March 2021. The company says the start of production of the new Citroën C5 Aircross SUV in India has started after rigorous testing of the vehicle for over 250,000 kilometres in different terrains and varied weather conditions across India.

Commenting on the rollout, Emmanuel Delay, Executive Vice President, Stellantis & Chairman, PCA Automobile India and PSA AVTEC Powertrain, said, “We are excited to officially rollout the first Citroën C5 Aircross SUV, which will be the first of many differentiating products for India from the brand. There is lot of market anticipation for the new Citroën C5 Aircross SUV, which will set a benchmark in style, comfort and innovation in its segment in India."

"I would like to congratulate all our employees at the plants who have worked tirelessly to achieve this key milestone despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic. We are looking forward to welcoming the customers to the La Maison Citroën dealership network, which means ‘the home of Citroën’  in a few weeks from now, across key cities of India.”

Citroen says its five key aims of the Citroën Advanced Comfort Programme are illustrated in the new Citroën C5 Aircross SUV:

- Flying Carpet Effect for cushioning the discomfort from road bumps through the Progressive Hydraulic Cushion equipped suspension system, exclusively developed by Citroën.

- A stress-free travel environment Cocooned in Comfort with Acoustic Windscreen & Front Window glasses, Advanced Comfort seats with memory foam and 3 individually adjustable, reclining and modular rear seats that fold flat to offer a class leading boot space.

- Panoramic Life with brighter and airier cabin and relaxing views of the scenery outside especially with its Panoramic Sunroof (Top end variant)

- Intuitive Technologies to simplify life on-board which include the Grip Control System with multiple drive surface options, Blind Spot Monitoring System, Park Assist feature which enablesparking of the car with only the brake and accelerator control while the car steers itself, Foot Operated Electric Tailgate (Top end variant), Engine Stop & Start function, a 12.3 inch Digital Driver Display, a 8 inch Infotainment Touchscreen with Phone Mirroring function, Apple CarPlay™ & Android Auto amongst a host of other technological features.

Powerful yet refined 2.0 litre Diesel Engine and 8-speed "Efficient Automatic Transmission" with Shift and Park by wire control, that will provide fuel efficient and comfortable drive.

Retail strategy for India revealed
Earlier this month, Citroen India top management shared details of its India retail plans. The brand will be targetting key Indian cities in the first leg with its globally renowned ‘La Maison Citroen’ showroom concept. It plans a roadmap to establish 10 La Maison outlets in the country, in order to establish the brand in India as it sets off with the premium C5 Aircross crossover, which is expected to retail at price points upwards of Rs 30 lakh. 

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