Citroen India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Kamarajar Port Ltd (KPL). Under this MOU, the French carmaker will export the made-in-India C3 hatchback using the aforementioned port. The car will head towards ASEAN and African countries from March 2023 as completely built units (CBUs).
Leveraging India as export manufacturing hub
Citroen India is part of the larger Stellantis Group. The Group is a joint-venture of the French PSA and the Italian-American Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). The brands in the conglomerate include Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Mopar, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, and Vauxhall.
Back in 2019, Citroen commenced exports of engines manufactured from the Hosur facility. Now, with the move to export the C3 hatchbacks, the company has reached a key milestone in its Indian operation.
Kamarajar Port for car exports
Citroen will use the Smart Car platform of the Kamarajar Port to export the made-in-India cars. Additionally, the port also meets all the requirements of the carmaker helping in facilitating the seamless export operations. THe port will also help in the on-time delivery of the vehicles at a competitive price.
Citroen C3 : More Details
The C3 is the second model after the C5 Aircross to launch in India. The hatch is based on the new CMP platform. It is an important car for the French carmaker as it will be the one bringing in the volumes. It heads against the likes of Tata Punch, Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite.
The Citroen C3 is offered with two engine options. These include the PureTech 82 and PureTech 110. The former uses a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated 3-cylinder engine, while the latter uses a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol motor. The PureTech 82 produces 82 PS of power at 5,750 rpm. Meanwhile, the max torque is 115 Nm at 3,750 rpm. The turbo-petrol motor produces 110 PS at 5,500 rpm and 190 Nm of torque at 1,750 rpm.
Recently, Citroen has introduced the all-electric version of C3 – the Ë-C3. Citroen has equipped the Ë-C3 with an electric motor that is mounted at the front. This motor generates 56 BHP and 143 Nm of peak torque. A 29.2 kWh battery pack has been paired with this motor. It gets a 3.3 kWh AC charger.
Also Read – 2023 Citroen eC3 First Drive Review.
