Citroen India has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kamarajar Port Limited in Tamil Nadu to start its export program this March. PAIPL (PCA Automobiles India Private Limited), the Indian subsidiary of Citroen, will export the India-made C3 hatchback as a fully-built unit to countries in ASEAN and Africa.
Roland Bouchara, CEO-MD, Stellantis India says: “In 2019, we started exporting powertrains from our Hosur facility and with the launch of new C3 exports as a CBU this year, we continue our journey to India. marking an important milestone.”
The French automaker is designing and developing a range of cars and SUVs based on its C-Cube platform aimed at emerging markets. The C3 hatchback (and its eC3 EV derivative) is the first of three cars planned on the platform. The company began retail sales of the C3 in July 2022. The objective of initiating exports is to build economies of scale and ensure profitable operations.
Citroen is due to launch another model, internally codenamed CC24, on the same platform later in the year, which will likely be the C3 Aircross SUV aimed at expanding the mid-size SUV market. An EV derivative, likely named the Citroen eC3 Aircross, is also in the works.
.jpg&description=Citroen+has+started+exporting+the+C3+hatchback){kind=link}