While Citroen is gearing up to launch their first product in the Indian market, the C5 Aircross, the manufacturer has already started road testing their next car for the more affordable segment. Seen in the images below is reported to be the brands compact-SUV codenamed as the C21. This all-new product which will be completely Made-in-India will be ready for a market debut by the end of 2021 and will becomes the entry-level product for Citroen in India. And since road testing has commenced, seems like Citroen is on track to meet the product launch timeline. Meanwhile, the Citroen C5 Aircross will go on sale by the Q1 of 2021.
Expected to ride on the positive sentiment during the festive period of 2021, the Citroen C21 compact-SUV will be powered by a new 1.2L, turbocharged petrol engine. Specifications are currently unknown, but there will only be a petrol engine on offer and diesel is not being considered as of now. The same engine had already started testing here on Indian soil with the Berlingo MPV spotted before. Expect manual as well as AMT / CVT / Automatic gearbox options to be on offer. This particular 1.2L petrol motor is being benchmarked with Maruti Suzuki’s 1.2L, 4-cylinder mill.
The Citroen C21 will be based on the CMP Common Modular Platform which has been designed and developed for emerging markets to keep costs in check. This compact-SUV is likely to be exported to other markets such as South America once the Indian launch is done and sales stabilize. The C21 will have typical design cues from the Citroen SUV range and from the spyshots, it looks similar to the C3 on sale abroad. Expect plenty of body cladding and chunky side door mouldings to give the car a typical SUV appearance, even though it will not really be an off-road capable vehicle.
The new Citroen C21 compact car will be manufactured in Tamil Nadu and the sticker price is expected to be just like any other sub-4 metre SUV.
