[firingpistonz]

Has anyone from Bangalore booked it? I called up the Hosur road dealership and they were being curt. They are not even entertaining basic questions. I'm very interested in the car but the dealership is not so. Very strange for a company trying to find inroads in India. Usually dealerships treat you royally atleast till you buy the car. Here I'm worried because they didn't even try to put a show. Also the fact that the nearest dekearship is a good 15kms away.

[firingpistonz]

Originally Posted by firingpistonz

Has anyone from Bangalore booked it? I called up the Hosur road dealership and they were being curt. They are not even entertaining basic questions. I'm very interested in the car but the dealership is not so. Very strange for a company trying to find inroads in India. Usually dealerships treat you royally atleast till you buy the car. Here I'm worried because they didn't even try to put a show. Also the fact that the nearest dekearship is a good 15kms away.

Ok, so an update. I take back all my words. Someone from the dealership had called and we talked for a good 20 mins. The gentleman was pleasant to talk to and answered all my queries patiently. Good job Citroen. Nice brownie points for this though.

Here is what I could gather from him. It might help others looking at the C3. Some of it might be already in the public domain, but please excuse the redundancy.

1. It will be a competitor to the Kiger and Punch. Not the kwid. (I thought it was the latter considering the size in spy pics)
2. The price too will reflect the same. He said the top end model will be less than 15 lakhs. (got a lump in the throat) I thought it will be less than 11 lakhs.
3. There will be 2 petrol engine variants, 1.2 litre NA and turbo. The former will produce around 80ps and the latter 120ps.
4. Ground clearance is 180mm.
5. Will come with funky colour combos.
6. Will have good build quality, Interior and exterior.
7. No idea on the variants. No info on the dimensions too.
8. Will come with standard 2 airbags. No info on higher variants and other safety features.
9. Launch is on second week of July. ( I read it was later half of June somewhere).
10. We will be given priority for the booking. Delivery will commence soon after launch. Possible that we might get the car immediately based on variant and colour.
11. You can choose the colour and variant immediately after the offical launch.
12. Booking is through cheque only, of 21k. Cancellation charges of 3k apply. (bummer, really)

Now coming back to my situation. I am need of a car immediately. My 2009 Swift VDI has a glow plug problem and one of the plugs has broken in the head. Just to change the plugs I need to spend 22k. I was planning for a new car. I was looking at the punch and Kiger. I honestly feel the punch is way over priced, and hence was waiting for the C3. Now many bhpians who have seen the car mention it is no bigger than a hatchback, rather than the kigers and punches.

Now plonking upwards of 10 lakhs for a new entrant with miniscule presence, and that too for a small car, doesn't seem to be wise. Now I need to be 100% convinced before I try to even convince my wife.

But looks like, as of now will not be going ahead with the booking.

[DriveOnceMore]

Originally Posted by firingpistonz

1. It will be a competitor to the Kiger and Punch. Not the kwid. (I thought it was the latter considering the size in spy pics)
2. The price too will reflect the same. He said the top end model will be less than 15 lakhs. (got a lump in the throat) I thought it will be less than 11 lakhs.

...
But looks like, as of now will not be going ahead with the booking.

I kind of have other opinion here and I strongly feel the salesguy just gave you sales talk even if he doesn't have a clear idea yet.
Looking at the spy pics, the top end C3 will NOT have automatic AC, alloy wheels, rear power windows so on.
These things are a clear indicator stating it can not compete with Punch / Kiger and others.
Also just like what you said, nobody (from the cost conscious sub 10 L segment buyer) will dare to put 10+ lakhs on a new brand having barely any footprint.

However big the brand Citroen may be in international markets, our entry level car market is ruthless and it doesn't value the BRAND image so much so it does value the other things like VFM, future value, reliability etc.

[Benoit]

I have seen the test mules more than a few times. It seemed to have the width of the Swift and the stance of the freestyle. So, IMO, it's more of a crossover hatch than a crossover SUV.

I did see some test mules with alloy wheels, but they were missing out on rear wipers.

I would have expected a diesel variant too. But in this age, diesels are rare under 10L. Also, let's see what kind of automatics will be on offer, if any.

I really hope there are new models under 10L and they
succeed too. But if this is priced over 12L OTR, this will fail miserably.

[pratikonomics]

I suspect, people expecting this to be priced similar to competition are in for a surprise.

Making in India is no longer cheap. Even after significant corners cuts compared to the European versions, this will be priced at a premium here.

Competing with Punch at the price of Nexon.

[dipen]

All global manufactures have dictated to focus profitability to their regional country leaders. Citroen will be no different. Feature wise it can't compete with established rivals like sonet, venue, brezza, Nexon. Best it can do is compete with magnite which is genuinely value for money or similar to baleno which again is featured loaded. Top end turbo auto without climate control, alloys, rear washer wiper ( taking clue from photos) at max 9.5 to 10 lakhs ex showroom is where it makes maximum sense. It needs to beat kushaq by at least 2 + lakhs ex showroom for same features and value to make sense. Their strategy should be build volumes to create an impact for long term. Have a great introductory pricing, create waves and increase prices by 1 % every month or two depending on response. Pricing higher at start will result in even reduced footfalls. Look wise baleno, magnite, kushaq, punch all have it beaten. Without dual tone, it looks relatively basic.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Benoit

I have seen the test mules more than a few times. It seemed to have the width of the Swift and the stance of the freestyle. So, IMO, it's more of a crossover hatch than a crossover SUV.

I did see some test mules with alloy wheels, but they were missing out on rear wipers.

I would have expected a diesel variant too. But in this age, diesels are rare under 10L. Also, let's see what kind of automatics will be on offer, if any.

I really hope there are new models under 10L and they
succeed too. But if this is priced over 12L OTR, this will fail miserably.

For a car without a rear wiper, still carrying flap-type door handles, without any unique premium features, I would not pay more than 8L OTR!

Magnite XV Executive is available at 8.2LOTR, and that has all the features this C3 has to offer + more SUV-ish styling.

[mave547]

Just an update from Mumbai (only one dealer here PPS Motors based out of AP I think).

Vehicle launch date 15th June. (The SA was hard selling for a booking amount supposedly because of a lot of interest.)

But here the booking amount of 21k is fully refundable, no strings attached.
He was clear right of the bat..about variants..pricing etc..that they have no clue about it and would not want to speculate.

[kushagra452]

Looking forward to this launch. I hope Citroen prices this sanely. I expect the pricing to be in the 4L - 8L range. A decently spec mid variant for 5.xxL OTR in Delhi NCR would be nice. However, given the lack of dealerships and service centers is expected to keep the interest from the masses very limited. All the very best to Citroen India!

[mave547]

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Looking forward to this launch. I hope Citroen prices this sanely. I expect the pricing to be in the 4L - 8L range. A decently spec mid variant for 5.xxL OTR in Delhi NCR would be nice. However, given the lack of dealerships and service centers is expected to keep the interest from the masses very limited. All the very best to Citroen India!

The word from SA is it will be priced between 10-13L range. Bigger then Hyundai Venue and Tata Punch. Competes with the like of Kiger/Magnite.

Also another interesting fact with respect to all the earlier messages and youtube videos, The C3 is not yet available in Brazil to buy only listed as coming soon without any specifications.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by kushagra452

Looking forward to this launch. I hope Citroen prices this sanely. I expect the pricing to be in the 4L - 8L range. A decently spec mid variant for 5.xxL OTR in Delhi NCR would be nice. However, given the lack of dealerships and service centers is expected to keep the interest from the masses very limited. All the very best to Citroen India!

Stop dreaming you can only get an Alto for that kind of money. My son got a Grand i10 automatic for 7L If Citroen were to sell a car for that kind of money then they would become another 'Datsun' or Redi Go in the Indian market.

[volkman10]

The much delayed Citroen C3 launching in July.

Calls it a “Hatchback with a Twist”

dealer-level bookings for a token amount of Rs 21,000 are also being accepted

Will rival Maruti's Ignis, Tata's Punch and the lower variants of Nexon and the Brezza as well as the Magnite and the Kiger.






Link

[Venkatesh]

Citroen C3 media drive invitation, with the C3 Citroen is expected to offer never before seen levels of customisation.



Link

[Durango Dude]

Price of Citroen would be such they'd make the i20 N Line value for money...That's my feeling and what Citroen may or should price the C3 at. It may cost almost Rs 15L OTR, I feel. People may buy it for it's quirky cute looks inside out and may be driving dynamics.

[kushagra452]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

It may cost almost Rs 15L OTR, I feel.

15L for a hatchback!? Are we soon going to see hatchbacks moving to the 15L-20L bracket? In India, cars are simply out of reach for the majority. I suspect things will only get worst for customers.