Citroen of Groupe PSA begins India journey with unveiling of C5 Aircross SUV

The Citroen C5 Aircross was launched in the presence of the top management of Groupe PSA that included Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board, Groupe PSA, Linda Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, Citroën Brand, and Emmanuel Delay, Executive Vice President & Head of India-Pacific, Groupe PSA. Roland Bouchara, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, Citroën India, was also present at the event.

Taveras clearly pointed out that his company was not chasing market share in India. “This (market share) is a natural consequence of profitable business venture, which comes from happy customers, who in turn come from good products and good servicing”, he stated. However, the company is looking to at least a 2 per cent share of the Indian passenger car market. The products to be introduced by the company will also have more than 90pc localisation.

The CitroenC5 Aircross SUV will be launched sometime in August-September 2020. Citroen plans to bring in a range of products after the CitroënC5 Aircross SUV that will be made and launched in India before being introduced in other parts of the world. The company also plans to launch a new vehicle every year from 2021.

Groupe PSA’s India project was announced as part of the Push to Pass plan and launched at the beginning of 2017 with the signing of two joint venture agreements with the CK Birla Group. It may be recalled that the ceremony of signature between PSA and CK Birla groups was held in Paris on January 25, 2017.

The partnership entails two joint-venture agreements between the PSA Group and the CK Birla Group companies. As part of the first agreement, the PSA Group holds a majority stake (80:20) in the joint-venture company set-up with HMFCL (part of the CK Birla Group) for the assembly and distribution of PSA passenger cars in India. As per the second agreement, a 50:50 joint-venture was set-up between the PSA Group and Avtec Ltd (flagship company of CK Birla Group) for manufacture and supply of powertrains.

While the cars will be manufactured at Tiruvallur, the engines and transmissions are being manufactured at Hosur. According to sources, the production of engines and transmissions have already begin and the company has started exporting the same.

At Tiruvallur, the initial manufacturing capacity will be set at about 100,000 vehicles per year and will be followed by incremental investment to support a progressive ramp-up of the long term project. The manufacturing capacity for powertrains will cater to the domestic market needs and global OEMs.

Carlos Tavares, in his speech mentioned that, “India is an important next step for Groupe PSA, as part of the Push to Pass plan to increase our international footprint and revenues. With the introduction of Citroën, our aim is to ‘be Indian in India’ and our association with the CK Birla Group, will be important to become a major player in the Indian automotive market. Globally, we have been successful in Europe and in other parts of the world because of our unique automotive experiences and delivering mobility solutions to meet our customer expectations. We really believe that India is a strong opportunity for growth and our commitment, professionalism and agility of our teams, combined with the pursuit of operational excellence, will sustainably drive our performance and increase the satisfaction of our future customers in the country.”

“We will have a suite of vehicles starting with the C5 Aircross and there would be fresh products every year. We shall be positioning ourselves at the heart of the market,” said Linda Jackson. Measuring 4.5 metres in length, robust and muscular, the new Citroen C5 Aircross model stands out in the SUV segment with its flowing shapes, large wheels, high ground clearance and distinctive roof bars. The cabin instantly gives an impression of spaciousness, with an emphatically horizontal dashboard and enveloping seats, with a seating position that gives the feeling of dominating the road, as well as a wide central console and warm materials.

Sharing his thoughts on the brand and region, Emmanuel Delay said, “We are on track to meet our objective of introducing our innovative range, starting from the new Citroën C5 Aircross SUV, which will be the first of many differentiating products from the brand from our vehicle manufacturing JV between the PSA Groupe and the CK Birla Group located at Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. Production of powertrains from our PSA - AVTEC Powertrain JV at Hosur, Tamil Nadu is also on track and will support our local and global requirements.”

Roland Bouchara said, “We are planning to introduce a unique digitally disruptive, omni-channel customer journey to deliver ATAWADAC ((AnyTimeAnyWhereAnyDeviceAnyContent) experience to customers. Our network focus will be to develop lean & phygital (physical + digital) formats with a ‘brick to click’ orientation. This seamless experience will be brought alive by personalised digital sales and service processes for our customers.” He also announced, “We are pleased to go live with our India website www.citroen.in which marks the beginning of our partnership with potential dealers in India leading to the Citroën Dealer Partner Live Tour in India from 1st of July, 2019.”