The French carmaker, Citroën, has unveiled its second dish for the Indian customers “The CITROËN C3”, unlike the previous car they launched, the C5 Aircross, this one is targeted at the mass market segment. CITROËN made its debut in the Indian market in April 2021 with the launch of the C5 Aircross, just after a year and a bit of market research the French carmaker is ready for the launch of its second product in the Indian car market. The Citroën C3 is a hatchback with a twist as the automakers would like to call it, the C3 looks like a perfect younger sibling to the C5 sharing the typical Citroen styling.
In the front we have the signature chrome front grille merged with daytime running lights, while the headlamps are located lower on the bumper. The circular fog lamps are outlined with bright colours and you can see this theme of citrus colours popping all around. We believe that the coloured outline is a part of the dual-tone paint scheme. Other than that the car has this French beard sort of treatment in the front with the silver bumper skid plate.
Talking about the side profile the C3 has a strong crossover appeal thanks to its thick plastic cladding and big wheel arches. 15-inch multi-spoke alloys can also be found on the side profile. You’ll also notice that the door handle lacks a request sensor, which is quite a bummer. The floating roof treatment, black roof rails and blacked-out A and B-pillars enhance the side profile of the car. At the rear, we have the box-type tail lamps and the continuation of the thick cladding on the rear bumper followed by a skid plate at the bottom. The reflectors on the rear bumper are also outlined in a similar pattern to the fog lamps in front.
The two-tone concept continues on the inside of C3. The French carmaker has stated that the C3 will be available in personalised colours for the interior. You get to see a nice three-spoke steering wheel having the steering-mounted controls for the infotainment system and an all-digital instrument cluster upfront. The centre gets a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless apple car play and android auto. The air-con vents at the centre are placed horizontally while the ones at either end are in a vertical position followed by the manual controls for the air conditioner, the cabin also has these subtle silver accents here and there. Citroen claims that C3 promises 315 litres of boot space.
Citroen is going to offer the C3 in two engine options, a 1.2-litre 3-cyl naturally aspirated petrol producing 82 horses and 115NM of torque mated to a 5-speed manual and a 1.2-litre 3-cyl turbo petrol making 110 horses and 190NM of torque mated to a 6-speed manual. No automatic is being offered as of now. Citroen C3 will be revealed on the 20th of July. It is expected to be priced between Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 10.5 lakh ex-showroom. It will compete against most of the hatchbacks and entry-level variants of compact SUVs.
| Model | Engine | Gearbox | Power/Torque |
| Citroën C3 (STD) | 1.2L NA 3-Cyl | 5-Speed Manual | 82 HP/115 Nm |
| Citroën C3 (Turbo) | 1.2L Turbo 3-Cyl | 6-Speed Manual | 110 HP/ 190 Nm |
Citroen’s C3 is a great shout for the Indian car market as it has the rugged compact SUV-ish design and traits of a compact hatchback. If you are in the market with a budget you must consider this mignon petit offering by the French carmaker.
