Citroen starts export of C3 hatchback

Citroen India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kamarajar Port Ltd in Tamil Nadu to begin its export program this March. PAIPL (PCA Automobiles India Private Limited), the Indian affiliate of Citroen, will be exporting the made-in-India C3 hatchback as completely built units to countries in ASEAN and Africa.

Roland Bouchara, CEO-MD, Stellantis India says: “In 2019, we started exporting powertrains from our Hosur facility and with the commencement of the New C3 exports as a CBU this year, we are marking a key milestone in our India journey.”

The French carmaker is designing and developing a range of cars and SUVs based on its C Cube platform aimed at the emerging markets. The C3 hatchback (and its eC3 EV derivative) is the first of three cars planned on the platform. The company started retailing the C3 in July 2022. The kicking off of exports is aimed at building economies of scale and ensure profitable operations.

Citroen is scheduled to launch another model, internally codenamed CC24, on the same platform later in the year, which is likely to be the C3 Aircross SUV aimed at growing the midsize SUV market. An EV derivative, likely to be called the Citroen eC3 Aircross, is also in the works.