French automaker Citroen held its first press conference in India announcing the company's entry into the Indian auto industry. The PSA Group company also unveiled its first product for India which will be the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV and is all set to arrive in the country in 2020. carandbike exclusively told you last month about Citroen bringing the model to India and the all-new offering will be taking on a number of offering in the compact SUV segment including the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson and the upcoming Kia SP2i SUV. The SUV will be produced at the company's Hosur-based facility in Tamil Nadu with about 95 per cent of local content going in.
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The Citroen C5 Aircross will take on the Jeep Compass and will be offered with petrol & diesel engines
Speaking at the unveil, Groupe PSA - CEO, Carlos Tavares said, "Want to enjoy the frugality, cost and quality competitiveness of this country. We need to use it not only for India but can also enjoy it for the rest of the world. We are setting up a specific purchasing team to source parts from India for the rest of the world. Exports will be at the same time as introducing products in local market that they will be shipped to other parts of the world."
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The C5 Aircross gets distinctive taillights, while its design is bold and quirky than its competition
The new Citroen C5 Aircross was unveiled last year globally. Measuring 4500 mm in length, the SUV boasts of a compact appearance with a wide grille up front and sleek looking split headlamp design complete with LED daytime running lights. The SUV also gets black lower body cladding for a rugged look. At the rear, the C5 Aircross gets flamboyant taillights with twin exhaust tips and a black bumper. There are roof rails added too for more practicality and butch appeal on the SUV.
Inside, the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV is a five-seater and comes with a host of creature comforts. The SUV gets a a 12.3-inch TFT-digital instrument screen and gets 20 new age driver assistance features including Highway Driver Assist, a level-two autonomous driving system, as well as six advanced connectivity technologies. Safety tech on the C5 Aircross includes multiple airbags, smart headlamps with an auto high beam feature, attention assist, cross-traffic detection, blind spot assist, hill-hold assist and more. The SUV also gets a digital instrument console.
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The Citroen C5 Aircross is a five-seater loaded with active and passive driver assistance systems
Power on the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV will come from both a 1.2-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engine options with output ranging from 130 bhp and 180 bhp. Both units will come paired with the automaker's new EAT8 automatic transmission as standard. The C5 Aircross is a two-wheel drive vehicle but does get Grip Control, which is similar to Land Rover's Terrain Response System. It is to be noted that Groupe PSA along with AVTEC owns the Greenfield facility in Hosur in a 50:50 joint venture, and already produces the engines and the transmission for exports.
