New Delhi: French carmaker Citroen is finally shaping plans to enter India with mid-premium C5 Aircross SUV, followed by a flex-fuel entry-level SUV and an electric SUV suited for the mass market.
Expected to launch in 2022, the electric vehicle (EV) will compete with the likes of Mahindra eKUV100 and Renault Kwid EV. Citroen is aiming to price it around Rs 8 lakh.
A small flex-fuel SUV, running on ethanol-blended petrol, will most likely be launched in second half of 2021. It will have a 1.2-litre petrol engine that can run on a 27 per cent ethanol blend or entirely on biofuel.
Currently, 5-7 per cent ethanol is being blended in petrol available in India. Up to 10 per cent blends don’t require any modification to engines to run. Biofuels help in reducing import bills and air pollution but the process of making them requires a lot of water, according to experts.
Citroen’s parent group PSA has acquired Hindustan Motors’ plant in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, from where it expects to make and sell a modest 3000 electric cars per year and 1 lakh gasoline ones by 2025.
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