Groupe PSA has announced that it will conduct the first-ever Citroen conference for India on 3 April 2019. The French auto conglomerate will announce the first model from its entry-level brand for our market at this event.
Groupe PSA’s portfolio comprises five automobile brands: Peugeot, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Opel and Vauxhall. Citroen is the most economical one of these, and that’s what it believes is the perfect fit for our price-sensitive market. The company announced that it will launch the first-ever Citroen model in India before the end of 2021.
It is being speculated that the Groupe PSA will re-enter the Indian market before the end of 2021 with the Citroen C5 Aircross, a model that will have turned four years old internationally by then. Introduced at the 2017 Shanghai Motor Show, it’s a C-SUV that has evolved from the Citroen Aircross Concept presented at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show.
In Europe, the Citroen C5 Aircross goes against the likes of Jeep Compass, Renault Kadjar, Peugeot 3008 and Skoda Karoq. The quirky SUV shares the EMP2 platform with the Peugeot 3008, which, at least from the design point, would have been an ideal choice for the Indian customers who mainly prefer SUVs with sturdy looks instead of funkiness.
Groupe PSA plans to offer B-segment models also in India. Under the so-called ‘Smart Cars’ project, the company is said to launch a sub-compact SUV like the Maruti Vitara Brezza, a sub-compact sedan like the Hyundai Verna and a sub-compact hatchback like the Hyundai i20.
Also See: Citroen C5 Aircross spied in India for the first time
Groupe PSA and Avtec (a CK Birla company) have formed a 50:50 joint venture called ‘PSA Avtec Powertrain’ in India. This joint venture company will manufacture and supply powertrains for both global and domestic markets at a new plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. This plant was inaugurated in November and it will manufacture about 3,00,000 transmissions in Phase 1 and 2,00,000 BS-VI compliant engines in Phase 2.
