Citroen C3

Citroen today officially unveiled its next product for the Indian market, which will be a locally made B+ segment premium hatchback called the Citroen C3. Yes, it shares its name with the C3 sold in Europe, however, the model coming to India is not the same car, in fact, it's based on the company's new Common Modular Platform (CMP), which has been developed for emerging markets like India and South America. The C3 is the first of the three new models, based on the same platform, which are coming to India as part of the company's C-Cubed programme. Here's all you need to know about the new Citroen C3.

The new Citroën C3 is a sub-4-metre B+ segment vehicle or premium hatchback that comes with SUV-inspired design and styling. This includes its tall-boy stance, muscular profile, rugged side and underbody cladding, and sporty alloy wheels. The C3 is 3980 mm long and comes with a grown clearance of 180 mm.

In terms of styling, the new C3 comes with signature Citroen styling. Two chrome lines extend from each side of the logo and go into the split LED daytime running lights creating the impressing of being one single unit. The SUV comes with halogen headlamps, along with cladding on the grille and aluminium skid plates on the bumper. The C3 also comes with faux roof rails, wraparound LED taillamps and a beefy rear bumper.

The new C3 will be offered in both single-tone and two-tone colour options, with 10 customisation choices. Citroen is offering four body colours with the C3 - Polar White, Platinum Grey, Steel Grey, Zesty Orange, while the two-tone colours come with two roof colour options - Platinum Grey or Zesty Orange.

Inside, the C3 comes with a well-laid-out cabin with the two-tone colour treatment carried over from the exterior. The vibrant panel on the dashboard matches the exterior shade of the car, while the air-con vents, with glossy black bezels, are similar to the ones in the C5 Aircross. Customers will also get a choice of up to eight seat covers, and there is a place to attach a smartphone clamp.

Citroen claims that the C3 offers exception cabin space as well. The car comes with a 2540 mm wheelbase, and passengers in the second-row seats get a legroom space of 851 mm and a knee room of 653 mm. The front seats give occupants an elbow room of 1,418 mm and headroom of 991 mm. The C3 also comes with a 315-litre boot space and a 1-litre glove box, along with large door pockets and several other cubby holes.

In terms of features, the C3 gets a stick-out infotainment display with a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen unit. It offers the Mirror Screen function, in order to reproduce the display of the driver's smartphone apps like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The car also gets a flat-bottom multi-functional steering wheel, along with other features like auto climate control, a USB charger and a 12V socket among others.

The new Citroen C3 will be launched in the first half of 2022 and it will be a Made-In-India product with over 90 per cent local content. The company has claimed that it will be launched at a competitive price point, so we would expect it to be priced between Rs.6 lakh to Rs.10 lakh (ex-showroom).