French auto major Groupe PSA has started its India ride with commercial production and roll-out of the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV from its manufacturing facility in Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu.
The flagship SUV is the first product from the Citroën brand for Indian customers and is slated to be launched this quarter. Production in India started after rigorous testing of the vehicle for over 2.5 lakh kilometres in different terrains and weather conditions across the country.
The French automaker, which is re-entering India, had previously said it would launch a C-Cube platform globally from India, based on which at least one car would be rolled out every year.
Emmanuel Delay, executive VP, Stellantis & chairman, PCA Automobile India & PSA Avtec Powertrain, said, “We are excited to officially roll out the first Citroën C5 Aircross SUV, which will be the first of many differentiating products for India from the brand. There is a lot of market anticipation for the [SUV], which will set a benchmark in style, comfort and innovation in its segment in India. We are looking forward to welcoming the customers to the La Maison Citroën dealership network, which means ‘the home of Citroën’, in a few weeks from now, across key cities.”
Groupe PSA had launched its India project at the beginning of 2017 with two JV agreements. It had signed a pact with CK Birla group was to invest €100 million for a car manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu with an initial capacity of one lakh units per annum. According to the second agreement, a 50:50 JV was set up between Groupe PSA and Avtec for the manufacture and supply of powertrains.
