The ‘SUV’ In Citroen C5 Aircross Hybrid SUV Stands For Silent Urban Vehicle

• Citroen’s technology flagship, the C5 Aircross hybrid, has a claimed all-electric range of 50km.
• The powertrain comprises a 182PS petrol engine and an 80kW electric motor for a total of 228PS and 320Nm.
• Citroen claims a WLTP fuel economy figure of 58kmpl.
• The electrified offering will cost EUR 39,950 (Rs 31.42 lakh) onward in France; deliveries will start from mid-2020.

Groupe PSA’s recent merger with the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Group is likely to affect Citroen’s India plans. With the international reveal of the Citroen C5 Aircross plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), we know that electric and hybrid powertrains will be offered by the French automaker. It has announced that along with plans to have “an electrified offering on its entire range by 2025”. Kicking off this plan, Citroen has just made the C5 Aircross Hybrid available for order in France with prices starting from EUR 39,950, the equivalent of Rs 31.42 lakh. The company says that deliveries will begin “at the end of the first half of 2020”. If it makes its way to India, the plug-in C5 Aircross will compete with hybrid models such as the Toyota Camry, Prius, and Honda Accord, as well as electric cars such as the Hyundai Kona Electric and the upcoming MG ZS electric vehicle (EV). 

 

The PHEV is part of Citroen’s plans to provide an electrified version — a plug-in hybrid or an EV — as an option on its entire range by 2025. Electric cars are not alien to Citroen - from the E-Mehari open-top people carrier to the Berlingo Electric MPV, the company has electric solutions for multiple niches. Citroen’s Berlingo electrique was being sold in the early 2000s, much before the rest of the world decided to take the electric route. The French car company aims to provide versatile vehicles, which, when driven around town, can be Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV), and Low-Emission Vehicles (LEVs) when using their combustion powertrains.  

Citroen’s C5 Aircross was announced earlier this year as the company’s first offering in India. The sport utility vehicle (SUV) comes equipped with Progressive Hydraulic Cushions, which give it a better ride than other similarly sized SUVs. In the PHEV, power will come from a 182PS petrol engine and an 80kW electric motor, for a combined 228PS and 320Nm of torque. The C5’s PureTech 180 S&S is a Euro 6 compliant, turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine. It transmits power through an e-EAT8, which is PSA’s 8-speed automatic designed for hybrid applications. 

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The battery, a 13.2kWh unit, will give the C5 an all-electric range of 50km. You’ll be able to lease or buy the 7.4kW charger, which will be able to fully charge this PHEV in a mere 2 hours. Even with a standard home socket, Citroen claims a charging time of 7 hours. A Green’up Legrand 230V 14 A socket will give you a full charge in 4 hours. The hybrid system will also help this car get exceptional fuel economy, which has been tested on the standardized World Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle to be 58kmpl (combined all-electric equivalent and hybrid).

India’s restrictive policy on radar-based navigation systems will make it unlikely for the India-spec model to have many of the C5 Aircross PHEV’s 20 driver assistance technologies. Internationally, Citroen’s technology flagship will be level-2 autonomous, which means that it will be able to drive itself in a straight line, both in traffic and on the highway, as long as you have your eyes on the road and a ready grip on the steering wheel. 

We expect the C5 Aircross SUV to arrive on our shores by the end of 2020. Prices for the India-spec combustion model are expected to start from Rs 16 lakh, though the international-spec PHEV variant will cost twice as much. The company is decidedly tight-lipped about its plans and is currently working to expand its dealership network in India. However, it has told us that it will launch a new product every year until 2023. Citroen is likely to skip an appearance at the Auto Expo 2020, too. Watch this space to know which three cars Citroen will bring to India after the C5 Aircross.