Citroen India is trying something different than just following the template set by early movers and, now, well-established players in the SUV market. It has traditionally been a bit of a maker of somewhat quirky vehicles — sometimes brilliantly so — and while its C3 Aircross doesn’t really break the mould, it does certainly try out something different within it.

So, in India, we have the super-competitive midsize SUV market comprising vehicles like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, MG Astor, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Jeep Compass, and so on, with the first two leading the rest of the pack by some margin. The thing to note is that all of these vehicles are five-seaters.

Now there are seven-seat versions available for many of them, but they are invariably longer and bigger and, possibly not as convenient to use. It is into this market that Citroen India is planning to roll in its C3 Aircross that offers a seven-seater option in a size no bigger than existing five-seaters. To be fair, the third row of seats are best suited for children or smaller adults, but that is more or less the story in the larger SUVs/MUVs as well.

That is, on the face of it, the differentiator for the C3 Aircross. But if we looked at just that we would be missing much of the story. The C3 Aircross is the vehicle with which Citroen wants to grab a slice of the burgeoning Indian midsize SUV segment that seems to have captured most vehicle buyers’ imagination.

While it shares its platform with the C3 that was rolled out in India a couple of years ago, the vehicle has been given a new design to fit its new role and not make it just a longer C3. The overall look is squarer and more butch since that is the way that SUV buyers like their vehicles to look. There are breadth-highlighting visual cues in the design and the rounded look has been ditched to the extent possible.I

The longer design looks nice in profile and the wheels pushed to the corners allows for a longer wheelbase.

The rear end of the C3 Aircross, unlike that of the hatchback, has very strong horizontal cues that emphasise its breadth .

The interiors are similar to the C3, but get some chrome bits that make it look more upmarket and finally, a much-needed instrument cluster that is in line with what one might expect in this segment.

The third row of seats option within its external dimensions is one of the things that will make the C3 Aircross unique

(L-R) Roland Bouchara, CEO & managing director India, Stellantis; Thierry Koskas, CEO, Citroen; Laurence Hansen, product and strategy director, Citroen; and Saurabh Vatsa, Citroën Brand Head (India), Stellantis, with the just-unveiled Citroen C3 Aircross midsize SUV that will see its commercial launch in India in the second half of this year

t is longer too, at 4,300mm and comes with a wheelbase of 2,671mm, that’s the longest in the segment. That length also allows it to release room in the passenger compartment to fit in the extra row of seats, or alternatively create substantial luggage room with either the seats folded down or taken out altogether. It’s actually decently roomy in there.

As of now, Citroen seems to have designated the 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine that does duty in the C3 as the only engine at initially the C3 Aircross will come with. It produces 110bhp and 190Nm of torque. So it’s quite a grunty mill. And while the C-Cubed platform is flexible enough to allow the vehicle to be electrified, nothing has been clearly said about that now. Also, a five-speed manual is also likely to be the only transmission option as of now.

The indications at the unveiling were that price is one of the dimensions on which Citroen is planning to fight it out in the market. The unveiling mule seemed to lack many of the features that are getting loaded into cars in that segment, all of which add to the cost. The C3 Aircross will not have some of them but might have others that its maker considers more desirable. The direct fallout of the lower cost is likely to be lower prices than competitors in the segment, which, if substantial, could create a pull for the C3 Aircross.

It remains to be seen how Citroen plays this balancing game. While the interiors remain largely like that of the C3, there is the addition of bits of chrome and a fairly nice instrument cluster rather than the very basic, pared-down one in the C3. Which was probably a dire necessity if someone has to pay a substantial price for this vehicle.

Citroen also plans to roll this one out in Latin America and other markets in South and Southeast Asia, the same as the C3. It would be interesting to see how this story plays out and, especially, what is the price tag that Citroen puts on it.