MODEL CITIZEN

Citroën’s first offering in India is a masterfully engineered response to the country’s embattled infrastructure

- PARTH CHARAN

Citroën C5 Aircross

ENGINE

2.0-LITRE DIESEL

TORQUE

400NM

AUTOMATIC

POWER

174BHP

TRANSMISSION

8-SPEED

PRICE

₹29.9 LAKH ONWARDS (EX-SHOWROOM)

The recent merger of the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV – two of the greatest European automotive empires – bodes well for the industry globally as it gears up to face a rising tide of challenges from fledgeling startups armed with new technology. In the Indian context, however, the widespread adoption of usurper EVs still remains a distant pipe-dream; as the need of the hour continues to be what it always has been – a thoroughly resilient, fossil fuel-powered car dedicated to cocooning the passenger from the unmitigated horrors of city traffic and damaged roads.

The Citroën C5 Aircross – the French brand’s maiden offering in the Indian market – is dedicated entirely to doing just that. Its mandate is as clear as it is refreshing, at a time when brands position their cars to be jacks of all trades, carrying within them the DNA of Mars Rovers and Le Mans prototypes. And because European brands combined occupy only five per cent of the total market share in the country, it falls on the likes of the Aircross to not only increase that, but also to establish Citroën as a major player in the country. No pressure, then.