The Citroen C3 has been launched in India with ex-showroom prices beginning at Rs. 5.71 lakh, and going up to Rs. 6.93 lakh for the 1.2 naturally aspirated petrol engine, and the sole variant with the 1.2 turbo petrol engine is priced at Rs. 8.06 lakh. Both the engines are only mated to a manual gearbox, and Citroen is not offering an automatic gearbox option at the time of launch. It is the French carmaker's second launch in our market, and while the first offering - C5 Aircross - was a very premium offering, with its second car Citroen wants to bring that level of comfort and luxury to the entry level market.

Citroen C3 variant wise pricing:

A while ago, we were expecting the C3 to be a subcompact SUV, or an Aircross as it goes in Citroen's nomenclature, but last year in September, the brand made it clear that it is strategically positioning it as an SUV-inspired B-Segment hatchback. It's arguably a smart move as it opens a wide volume area for the French brand without necessarily having a particular set of competition. As Citroen has made this choice, the C3 goes up against some very successful hatchbacks as well as subcompact SUVs in India. Let's take a look at how it stacks up against its rivals in terms of pricing.

Subcompact SUVs:

The Indian market loves SUVs, and subcompact SUVs provide the Indian consumers with the ‘commanding’ driving position synonymous to SUVs in a compact form factor, allowing ease of use that hatchbacks are best known for at a price point that's significantly lesser than the compact SUVs. Even though the Citroen C3 is technically not a subcompact SUV, it aims to pull cloud from that segment by offering a more comfortable ride than its rivals. While the freshly updated Hyundai Venue and Maruti Suzuki Brezza are some of the popular cars in the subcompact SUV segment, they're slightly more premium offerings than the Citroen C3. Lets take a look at the other popular subcompact SUVs - the Tata Punch, Renault Kiger, and Nissan Magnite.

Tata Punch:

Tata Punch is offered with just a single engine option, that being a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine. The engine is mated to either a 5-speed manual or an AMT automatic gearbox. Tata however offers this subcompact SUV in a long list of variants. The manual variants start from Rs. 5.93 lakh and go all the way up to Rs. 8.89 lakh (Ex-showroom). The automatic gearbox is available in all the variants except for the bottom two, and commands a premium of Rs. 60,000 over their manual counterparts. Prices for automatic variants start at Rs. 7.30 lakh and go up to Rs. 9.49 lakh (Ex-Showroom).

Renault Kiger:

Renault Kiger is offered with two petrol engine options - a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated, and a 1.0-litre turbo. The non-turbo version is offered with a manual or an ‘Easy-R AMT’ automatic transmission, while the turbo mill is paired with a manual or a CVT gearbox. The subcompact SUV from the French carmaker is offered in many variants, with pricing starting from Rs. 5.99 lakh and going up to Rs. 9.17 lakh for the non-turbo variants, while the prices for the turbo petrol variants start from Rs. 8.92 lakh and go all the way up to Rs. 10.62 lakh (Ex-Showroom).

Nissan Magnite:

Like the Kiger, Nissan Magnite is offered with a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. Unlike the Kiger, the Magnite is not offered with an AMT automatic gearbox for the 1.0-litre N/A engine, and only gets a manual gearbox in the entry level models, with the turbo variants having CVT Automatic on offer alongside the manual. Prices for the Nissan Magnite start at Rs. 5.97 lakh, and go all the way up to Rs. 10.38 lakh (Ex-Showroom).

Hatchbacks:

Citroen C3 goes up against some popular hatchbacks in the country. Two of the most prominent hatchbacks in this segment are the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios and the Maruti Suzuki Ignis. Both the hatchbacks are in the same price bracket and come from the top 2 most selling brands in India.

Maruti Suzuki Ignis:

The Maruti Suzuki Ignis is offered with only one 1.2-litre petrol engine option, which is mated to a 5-speed manual or an AMT automatic gearbox. The hatchback is offered in 4 variants, but only the top 3 are available with automatic gearbox option. The AMT variants cost about Rs. 50,000 more than their manual counterparts. Prices for the Maruti Suzuki Ignis begin from Rs. 5,35,000 and go up to Rs. 7,22,000 for the manual variants, while the AMT variants start at Rs. 6,49,000 and go up to Rs. 7,72,000 (Ex-showroom).

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios:

Hyundai offers the Grand i10 Nios in 4 powertrain options. There's a 1.2-litre petrol, 1.2-litre diesel, 1.0-litre turbo petrol, and a 1.2-litre petrol + CNG. The hatchback is offered in multiple variants, with prices starting from Rs. 5,39,000 for the 1.2-litre petrol mated with a manual gearbox, and goes all the way up to Rs. 8,46,400 for the top end 1.2-litre diesel variant with an AMT automatic gearbox.