Stellantis Malaysia might be looking at bringing in the All-New Citroën C3 Aircross.
Back in May, Stellantis Malaysia previewed the Citroën C3 Aircross model at their Malaysia Autoshow 2024 booth. Well, series production of the model has just started in India and in Slovakia so there’s a chance we may see CKD packs coming in for local assembly at the Gurun plant for the ASEAN region. Yes, it is looking like the C3 Aircross will be the model to reintroduce Malaysians to a more mass-market oriented Citroën.
The question we have is which variant will be brought in to Malaysia. The Citroën C3 Aircross is quite a versatile vehicle. It is built on a different platform from the Peugeot 2008 known as the Small Car Platform. This allows Stellantis to offer the compact crossover in battery electric vehicle form, with a hybrid powertrain or even with an ICE powertrain. Our money is on the 100bhp 1.2L PureTech Turbo engine for the CKD model and possibly the 113bhp electric model for imported models.
The electric vehicle market is currently saturated and we think a short import run of the electric models would serve Stellantis Malaysia better than a full CKD plan. This is also because the electric version of the C3 Aircross might be a little uncompetitive in the market. It only delivers about 300km in terms of range with average charging capabilities at 11kW AC and 100kW DC Fast Charging. At RM140,000 without import tax and excise duties, it’ll have a hard time finding many customers.
The Citroën C3 Aircross can also be configured as a 5-seater or a 7-seater in Malaysia. This means it might be able to squeeze into the niche once filled by the Honda BR-V. There are still competitors in this space but most are in the form of compact MPVs, so this compact SUV 7-seater might present a unique option.
Here are some key measurements:
- Length: 4.39 meters
- Width: 1.79 meters
- Height: 1.66 meters
- Wheelbase: 2.67 meters
- Ground clearance: Over 200 mm
- Boot capacity (5-seater): 460 liters
- Boot capacity (7-seater, all seats up): 40 liters
- Boot capacity (7-seater, 5-seat configuration): 330 liters
Besides that, the C3 Aircross is pretty well-featured with a 10.25″ touchscreen, a heads up display, wireless smartphone charging, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and USB-C ports. You also get a full safety suite and the only glaring omission on the list of options is a 360-degree parking camera.
Of course, being a Citroën model, design and comfort are how it will stand out against the competition. IF priced right it could bring a bit of competition in the field.
