A piece of news which was awaited since 2011 came in nearly 6 years later. In January of 2017, PSA Groupe, an automotive alliance which includes brands like Opel, Peugeot and Citroën, announced a joint venture (JV) with CK Birla Group. The JV will enable PSA Groupe not only assemble and distribute cars in India but also manufacture and supply powertrains. In November last year, we saw the inauguration of PSA AVTEC Powertrain Pvt. Ltd. – a facility in which the French automotive alliance has a 50 per cent stake, whereas the other half is controlled by AVTEC, a CK Birla Group Company.

All that is great but which brand would PSA Groupe rely on to become third time lucky? We now have an answer. After failed attempts with the Peugeot marque in the past, the automotive group has decided to hand the torch over to Citroën. As per the company’s claims, a full-fledged ecosystem will be in place for the Indian market by 2021. That’s the year when the first set of Citroën cars will be produced for India.

PSA Groupe has lined up an initial investment of Rs 700 crore to get its manufacturing facilities in place. Just like the powertrain plant mentioned above, the Citroën vehicles will be manufactured in the state of Tamil Nadu. The initial production capacity will be set at approximately 1 lakh units per annum. Needless to say, all Citroën models will not only be BS VI-compliant but also meet the stricter safety norms which would have been implemented in India by then. PSA Groupe also acquired the Ambassador marque from CK Birla Group and we could see the introduction of a modern version of the iconic nameplate.

While that is a maybe, we still don’t know which cars will Citroën offer in India. On a number of occasions, the Citroën C5 Aircross SUV has been spied on Indian tarmac. A mid-sized SUV might just be the right platform for Citroën to establish itself as a premium carmaker in India. But here’s something even more intriguing. PSA Groupe has set itself an aim to offer electrification on all new models by 2021. A coincidence? If yes, a very lucky one indeed! This development could come in extremely handy for the Citroën’s image on our shores.