Citroen starts home delivery of C5 Aircross SUV

Automaker Citroen on Wednesday said it has commenced home deliveries of C5 Aircross SUV, its first model in the Indian market.

The company, which is a part of Stellantis group formed by the merger of two global auto majors FCA and Groupe PSA, is taking online bookings for the model and then directly delivering the SUV to customers from its Tiruvallur-based (near Chennai) manufacturing plant.

It is the first of its kind sales initiative in the country.

Citroen currently has showrooms across ten cities in the country, including Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Kochi, and Gurugram.

For customers outside these cities, it has launched a 100 per cent direct online buying for its flagship model.

The company has initiated the home delivery model in 50 locations across the country so far.

"The home delivery process is live now. We have delivered two vehicles in Chandigarh and Surat and more are on the way," Citroen Brand Head (India) Saurabh Vatsa told PTI.

Citroen is all about comfort and without a doubt, the current conditions have accelerated the need for a comfortable experience for the customer, he added.

The initiative covers purchase, online trade-in, finance, insurance, maintenance packages, extended warranty, and registration before home delivery, Vatsa said.

The automaker has tied up with various partners for the door-step delivery of the vehicle and also to get the car registered at the nearest Regional Transport Office.

Vats noted that the online buying initiative is not competing with the physical dealerships and is intended to bring in incremental sales for the company.

“Citroen has been the first OEM in India to introduce and deliver on the concept of home delivering a car directly from the factory.

"Digitisation is a major focus area not just for the brand but also for the Stellantis group as we believe this 100 per cent direct buying online model will see rapid adoption in the future in India," Stellantis India vice president-S&M Efficiency Joel Verany said.

Besides, the automaker has launched various initiatives like service on wheels and pan-India roadside assistance service, among others.

When asked about the response for C5 Aircross so far in the country, Vats said that over 1,000 bookings have been received and  325 units have already been delivered to customers to date.

Citroen had launched the SUV in April this year with introductory prices starting from Rs 29.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The model is powered by a 2-liter diesel powertrain, which is mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Vats noted that the company plans to further increase its sales infrastructure in the country as it looks to drive in a new model in the country next year, which would be more towards generating volumes for the automaker.

Citroen has already stated that it plans to roll out four models in India over the next four years, beginning 2021.