Part of the globally successful auto conglomerate, Groupe PSA, earlier this year, Citroën had announced its entry into the Indian market. The brand has now entered into a white-label arrangement with Axis Bank, as a preferred Banking partner, to introduce Citroën Finance in India. Citroën Finance will provide retail finance and mobility solutions including value-added products to its customers and customised credit solutions to its dealers in India.
Citroën will begin operations in India by the end of the year 2020. Their first product will be the Citroën C5 Aircross SUV. The initial product and the ones which follow will be localised to Indian tastes and will be built in India. Citroën’s Indian arm will also be responsible for the development of new international products, which will be introduced here, before making their debut elsewhere. Starting in 2021, the brand will also launch one new product every year after the introduction of the C5 Aircross SUV. This is a part of Citroën’s ‘C Cubed’ strategy, which stands for Cool, Comfort and Clever. Cool illustrates Citroën’s unique and bold French design, Comfort highlights their approach towards building cars which are easy to use and Clever rounds off building new-age, highly localised cars which will meet customer expectations.
Also Read: Getting To Know Brand Citroen – The C5 Aircross Compact Crossover SUV
The 100-year old brand has associated with India’s CK Birla group for their foray into this market and aims to set new benchmarks in the areas of comfort, style and innovation with the C5 Aircross. The manufacturing facility is being set up at Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu and powertrains will be developed at Hosur in the same state. The brand’s India website is now Live.
Speaking about the partnership, Roland Bouchara, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Citroën India said, “This partnership with Axis Bank is in line with our commitment towards providing the best-in-class experience to our customers not only at our dealer showrooms but also online. Citroën Finance will be a one-stop financing solution for our customers and dealer partners in India, offering customised, unique and seamless financial services solutions.”