Team-BHP - Is it Exter in, C3 out? Why isn't Citroen India successful?

I do not have any clue on the financial status of PSA group or that of Stellantis (as a whole). But as previously mentioned, Citroen and Jeep are operating as two completely separate entities in India. The PSA group operates the old HM factory in Chennai (I think on lease), which is not modern by any means. If they are serious about India, they should invest more in Chennai (if they have the financial clout) or join with Jeep and produce their cars from Ranjangaon factory (Similar to Skoda and Volkswagen).

I think they currently do not have the required resources to fully bring out their A game (Automatic variant, essential & safety features, xpansion of dealership network and Marketing). Also with this minimal resources approach, they should have just launched C3 Aircross alone (with automatic and safety features) and not C3.

I didn't even consider it when looking for a car for my brother. While some of the accessories can be fitted after-market, the lack of a tachometer and most importantly an auto gear unit was a no-go for me. Also, although I would like to drive one to just check out the engine, for a daily commute, I'd like a lot more features than just the bare bones. Financially also, it didn't seem like a sound choice, with the price being unreasonable, ASS being questionable and resale value being almost certainly dismal.

As an owner of C3 Turbo for almost a year, I would like to say that Citroen has not failed. They are growing in the Indian market but not so rapidly as we all expect, instead they are strengthening their products and getting their basics right. I have completed 11k kms and completed 2 services I am also part of the owner groups, so let me share my observations here.

Talking about volumes Citroen should have sold approximately 10k C3s in a year. This is low comparing other brands but with limited number of dealers this is a healthy number. Per dealership sales has been very good and dealers are happy with that. Looks like Citroen is also happy with these numbers as their capacity is also around these numbers as of now and gradually, they are planning to increase the capacity with new products and network expansion. We can see more new outlets when C3 Aircross goes on sale.

Talking about the product, there are many misses as we all know. But whatever is given it is given right and nothing fancy or substandard. There have been no major issues reported on C3 so far. There might be few niggles but nothing major and few common issues has been addressed by Citroen. Also, the feedback about the missing features has been addressed and new variants has been launched.

As far as safety is concerned, yes C3 has scored 0 stars in LATIN NCAP and experts here know the difference between different NCAPs, so I am not going into that. But some real time incidents have been reported and occupants were safe in all scenarios and owners have reported that they are happy with the build quality.

Regarding the service, I would say it is improving on every visit. Yes, there are fewer service centers, but they provide pickup and drop facilities and Service on Wheels wherever possible. Few owners have also availed RSA and it has provided without any hassles as promised by Citroen.

So overall, Citroen is playing very safe, and they do not want to overdo anything at this point of time. Yes, they might not be selling their products in huge numbers and as an owner of a Citroen product even I am not very sure about their future in India. But as a member of this forum, I am happy that this brand focus on basics than any other fancy stuffs not only in their products but also in their overall approach.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neerajku (Post 5599787)

They have a 100 year plan, peak will start with the 300 years of French revolution. These are early days and hence they are not bothered about product, customers, top line, bottom line etc. These are for those who only have a 5 year plan!

I think they do have to rev up their RPM (French-Revolutions per minute ?) if they have to survive. Their no nonsense bare bones philosophy is some thing I like if they also

1. Keep the price in check with most additions available through customisation

2. Offer all other fancy stuff as factory configurable options

I am not a big fan of "new age features" like sunroof, infotainment screen larger than windshields, or for that matter (dis?)-connected car features that are poorly implemented and leaks customer data. I will be much more happy to have only those features that I really need (mostly safety features) and basic convenience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unstuck (Post 5599738)

Also with this minimal resources approach, they should have just launched C3 Aircross alone (with automatic and safety features) and not C3.

I am very thankful that they launched the C3 Turbo because I wouldn't have bought the C3 Aircross sized vehicle and I would have had to settle for mediocre products like i20, Baleno, Altroz under 8-10l. I am calling these a mediocre product mostly from the powertrain perceptive other than that they do have much better feel good factor than C3 no doubt.

A few years ago when I was not driving a car I wanted all the feature but after driving for around 1.5-2 years I actually am very happy that I bought the C3 Tubro because it's a no fuss non maintanence car. The maintainence of extra electrical and electronics features can be compensated for a new Turbo charged engine in Indian market if the need arises. So in a way it could be a very pocket friendly car.

C3 turbo is meant to be a budget driver's car which enough space and overall a comfortable place to be in. If their first iteration is this good, I believe other manufacturers need to worry about Citroen taking a foot hold(with excellent service and reliability) in Indian market in coming years. Because if they did decide to put the fully speced C3 in the market(just as in EU), it will be very difficult to justify a Maruti or Tata hatch or CSuv over 10-12l.

Quote:

Originally Posted by redrobin520 (Post 5599979)

I am very thankful that they launched the C3 Turbo
C3 turbo is meant to be a budget driver's car which enough space and overall a comfortable place to be in. If their first iteration is this good, I believe other manufacturers need to worry about Citroen taking a foot hold(with excellent service and reliability) in Indian market in coming years. Because if they did decide to put the fully speced C3 in the market(just as in EU), it will be very difficult to justify a Maruti or Tata hatch or CSuv over 10-12l.

I'm happy to hear there's a positive vibe from a C3 turbo owner, wish the whole market shares your enthusiasm and tries out new products! Wishing you miles over miles of smiles.

As a owner of Tata Punch, some points which did lure me away from C3 were
The satisfying thud on the doors which I get on the Punch is missing
The interiors look plain bland, it looks like a good generation older(My 19year old Optra
seemed to have a more elegant interior as compared to C3).
The fit and finish, not that Punch is perfect but yes way better than C3(19 year old Optra
has a better finish than both)

Engine wise yes Punch seems to be the worst of the lot at least on paper, but considering I mainly use it in the city I really don't feel a turbo would make a lot of difference to me and I believe thats going to apply to a lot of people going for these MicroSUVs(As per me they are small hatches on steroids) . Recently I did manage to see a C3, Exeter almost next to each other and my personal opinion C3 had a better presence than the Exeter at least in the rear three quarters.

As an owner of C3 Turbo, and who has driven almost all the popular cars in this segment, I will say C3 beats all of them even with the lack of features. If they did come up with more features, it would have been game over for Venue, Nexon, and marked the exit of Brezza from the market. I am kidding of course, but honestly, no other car has what C3 offers. Maybe the Shine variant is putting it in range of Brezza but it's still better than others in the Hatchback segment if you are tight on budget.

I would go for the Citroen C3 if I were to pick between the two. C3 is better looking (looks are subjective), has stellar ride quality (comfort) that really glides over our patchy roads, boasts a stonker of a turbo petrol engine with 190Nm paired to a six speeder, good space for five, and feels well built ( no matter what the crash test results suggest) and solidly put together. I am not a fan of modern niceties like sunroofs and ventilated seat. I like my car to be solid ( in terms of comfort and performance) and simple. But, hey that's me and I could be wrong. I am just trying to express my own personal views. Do excuse me if I ended up hurting someone's sentiment in the process.

During my visits to the Citroen showrooms and service centers in Bangalore and Kochi, I observed a positive sentiment among the dealers, salespeople, and service teams. Being an owner of the C3, I can attest that they seem satisfied with their sales performance. On average, both cities register sales of 4-5 cars daily, suggesting that the car isn't underperforming from a dealer's viewpoint.

I believe it's crucial to offer a balanced comparison. Comparing a brand with 20-30 showrooms to another with 1500+ showrooms, like Hyundai, in terms of sales figures might not provide a complete picture.

It would be beneficial for all Team-BHP members to consider this perspective and understand the broader context.

Sorry, I have to repeat this post.

I went for test drive of C3 after reading positive reviews here & on the Internet. But my experience was not that positive.

1) Did not get any kind of throwback feeling when accelerating hard.

2) Did not like the steering feedback/feel. Brio's steering is better without any doubt. Also it was not leather wrapped so was getting plasticity feeling.

3) No rear ac vents. This is a 4 meter car, not wagonR. No lamp at the back or in middle of the car.
There are youtube videos available on how to install rear ac vents by using drain pipe & moving it backwards from inside the centre console. But Citroën, even with launch of C3 aircross, a 4.3 meter car, have not been able to figure out how to install rear ac vents. This tells a lot about the company.

4) Missed the tachometer while driving. Instrument panel could atleast have an option to show only speed & rpm.

And note that above points are not the features which can be added from aftermarket.

Citroën did not make any special effort to customize the car for India. It's the same as Brazil model: same exteriors, same interiors except for car seat colour. In fact when the car was launched in India, the Brazil model, as per youtube videos, already had electrically adjustable orvms.
And Indian management did not even bother to equip all review vehicles with electrically adjustable orvms, alloy wheels, leather wrapped steering etc.