India-bound Citroen C21 compact SUV spied testing

- Expected to be launched in India in 2022

- Will mark Citroen’s entry in the compact SUV segment

Citroen recently unveiled the C5 Aircross in India and will be launching the same in the coming months. To make its presence felt stronger, the French carmaker will also be launching a smaller sub-four metre SUV in the country. Spotted testing on several occasions, the compact SUV is codenamed C21 and is likely to be introduced in India sometime next year. 

The C21 will be entering the populated and highly competitive segment which is currently dominated by the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Toyota Urban Cruiser, and Mahindra XUV300. As per the spy shots, the C21 will carry the family face with split light clusters on the front. The LED DRLs will be placed on either side of the front grille while the headlamps and the fog lamps will mostly be bumper mounted. On the side, the protruded wheel arches could get black cladding for a more rugged appeal. The steel rims will be replaced by alloy wheels for the top-spec trims. The rear, which is largely covered under the sheets, reveals very few details such as the rear parking sensors, high-mounted stop lamp, and rear bumper-mounted reflectors with a number plate slot.

It will be based on the Groupe PSA’s Common Modular Platform (CMP) which is unlike the one on which the C5 Aircross is based. The upcoming Citroen sub-four metre SUV is likely to be offered exclusively with a petrol engine. A six-speed manual unit could be standard while an automatic transmission could be offered as well.