Citroen postpones the launch of the C5 Aircross in India!

The French Automaker Citroen, had planned to make enter the Indian markets by the end of this year, but unfortunately, this plan has to be delayed because of the Covid 19 emergency.

Citroen India under Groupe PSA has stated that they will be launching their C5 Aircross during the first quarter of the 2021, as it would be a time of more positive economic activity, which can be crucial for a new brand entering a foreign market.

Currently, not only the Indian market, but most markets are seeing a major slump in sales and production, and thus delaying the launch is a rational move.

Citroen, as per their initial plan, were working hard and fast, and had already begun constructing dealerships in India. One of the showrooms which is almost ready is in the city of Karnavati, Ahmedabad .

Had Covid 19 not struck the world, Citroen would have opened this branch by the 15th of May, and from here onwards, they would have focussed on setting up 15 more branches in the tier 1 cities of India. However, this plan will be put off temporarily, as Citroen India has closed their offices in India, and asked the employees to work from home.

Talking about dealerships, Citroen believes in thinking beyond their cars, and care a great deal about the ambience they set in the showrooms.

Citroen intends on bringing the ‘La Maison’  (which means ‘Home’ in French) concept to their showrooms in India, and this concept focusses on giving a warm welcome to their new clients by setting a traditional environment.

While being traditional, Citroen will also make sure that they are up to the mark with the technological expectations, and things such as VR (virtual reality) systems along with product customisation features will surely be offered by the French automaker.

As I said before, the first car which Citroen will be offering India with is the C5 Aircross, and this SUV has a rather unorthodox and polarising styling, which would garner a lot of opinions, but yet, it is quite the looker.

Size wise, the vehicle looks bigger than a Seltos, but smaller than a Harrier, which means pricing will be a big factor to decide its fate in the country. The car is brought to life by a BS6 1.5 litre diesel which produces 129 bhp, and this engine is coupled with an 8 speed automatic.

How long is Covid 19 going to stay, we do not know, and this is one of the key factors, which will determine the future of many motor brands in the country, numerous automakers are worried about the financial consequences of this disease and some have started to feel quite anxious about surviving in the country.

At a time like this, new brands such as Citroen would too feel uneasy, and I hope that we are able to come out of this crisis as soon as possible, so as to allow our industries to begin functioning, and help their brands and the Auto Industry to recover from this global collapse.