Citroen C3 To Begin Exports As Completely Built Units (CBU) To African And ASEAN Countries From This Indian Port

Citroen will begin exporting fully built-up units (CBUs) of the C3 hatchback from the Kamarajar Port in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The French carmaker has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL) for shipping out cars built at Citroen’s Thiruvallur facility. The carmaker will commence exports from Chennai later this month.

The C3 hatchback was first launched in India in mid-2022 and later made its way to many other markets including Brazil, another country where the C3 is manufactured. It seems that the C3 will now make its way to Southeast Asian countries and African markets as well, and the models will be exported as completely built units (CBU). 

Citroen C3 in India 

On our shores, the C3 hatchback is a Maruti Swift / Tata Punch-rival that offers roomy interiors alongside a fun turbo-petrol engine option. It lacks an automatic gearbox and features and creature comforts we’ve become accustomed to in modern cars; but on the plus side, it’s well priced, starting at Rs 5.98 lakh (ex-showroom). 

• Citroen C3 vs Hyundai Grand i10 Nios vs Maruti Suzuki Swift: Performance And Fuel Efficiency Compared

• Tata Punch And Citroen C3 Compared Based On Ride And Handling

The C3 is offered with an 82PS 1.2-litre petrol engine and five-speed manual gearbox as standard. The top-spec variant also gets the option of a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine good for 110PS, paired with a six-speed manual transmission. An automatic is offered in some other countries, but not yet in India. 

This year, Citroen launched the all-electric version of the C3 called the eC3 EV. It has a 29.2kWh battery pack good for up to 320km of range, and you can find out all about it in the stories linked below: 

• Citroen eC3 Electric Hatchback Reaches Dealerships, Test Drives Underway Ahead Of Launch

• Citroen eC3 EV Goes On Sale In India At Rs 11.50 Lakh

• Citroen eC3 First Impressions Review