It isn’t a secret that PSA Group’s Citroën has been laying foundations to set up shop in India. Under normal circumstances, the French carmaker would have launched its first product – the C5 Aircross – by the end of 2020. Even though the larger chunk of the year is remaining, the circumstances are presently far from normal. Because of the Corona Virus outbreak, which has forced India to go under complete lockdown, Citroën has pushed the launch of the C5 Aircross to the first quarter of 2021.

The Citroën C5 Aircross will arrive in India via the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route. Because of the high asking price, it will become a rival for the likes of the Jeep Compass and the Hyundai Tucson. The model will be put together at PSA Group’s manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu, which has an annual capacity of 1 lakh units. For the record, the state is also home to PSA Avtec Powertrain Pvt. Ltd., which is a production facility for transmissions and BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) engines. The facility will not only cater to PSA’s needs in India but also in international markets.

So, what happens to the product introductions following the C5 Aircross? Will they face a delay as well? As per Citroën, no. The company aims to abide by its original timeline, according to which the first vehicle designed, developed and manufactured in India would be amongst us before 2021 comes to a close. The plans also indicated that from 2021, a new model would find a place in Citroën’s Indian portfolio every year.

In addition to readying the manufacturing facilities, PSA Group has also established leasing and finance solutions in the country. And when it joined forces with CK Birla Group in 2017, it also bought rights to the Ambassador nameplate. You know what that means! We could very well see the iconic marque with a French zeal. Also, PSA Group and FCA are finalising a merger deal. It will be interesting to see how that impacts Citroën’s game plan for India.