Opinion — Will An Automatic Transmission Make The Citroen C3 More Popular | V3Cars

10 August 2022
By Amit Saraswat
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The Citroen C3 is the first locally-manufactured Citroen in India. Citroen has high hopes for the C3 as they believe it will help them grow their footprint in the country. The Citroen C3, despite being a sorted product, failed to gain traction owing to the lack of features and slim dealership network. Will an automatic transmission boost the popularity of the French cross hatch? Here is what we think.

If the current rumours are true, Citroen will launch the C3 automatic later this year. The C3 automatic is expected to get torque converter unit sourced from Aisin. In fact, it is the same transmission unit found in the Volkswagen Vitrus 1.0, Skoda Slavia 1.0 and MG Astor, to name a few.

While the C3 is likely to come with a torque converter, its arch-rivals offer automated manual transmissions (AMT). While AMTs are cheaper to manufacture do the job equally well, they lack refinement and smoothness of a torque converter. On the other hand, a torque converter transmission, especially the one from Aisin, offers snappy gear shifts under most conditions. Hence, a torque converter automatic transmission could give the C3 the upper hand over the rest of its rivals.

However, will an automatic transmission be able to bring more footfall to Citroen dealerships? Well, for that to happen, Citroen will need to work on expanding its dealership network. While Citroen does offer ‘La Maison Citroen’, which according to them offers phygital purchase experience, most car buyers in India prefer to visit showrooms and touch and feel the car in person. That said, Citroen’s phygital initiative lets customers customise the car using a configurator and order the car on the spot. However, this doesn’t work as effectively as a proper dealership, especially for cars that belong in the lower end of the spectrum.

While it is the need of the hour to have more Citroen dealerships, the carmaker must also work to offer more features with the C3. The new C3 lacks multiple feel-good and crucial features. The latter includes centralised power windows, tachometer, day/night IRVM, adjustable headrests and rear wiper with washer. If Citroen can work out how to offer a more premium experience with the C3. we can expect the cross-hatch to gain a lot more popularity and bookings, given it’s an irresistible package mechanically.

Also Read: Citroen India Commence Customer Deliveries For The C3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amit Saraswat

Born and brought up in Agra, he grew up reading magazines more than textbooks. With a keen interest in cars, he decided to make his future in automotive journalism and is currently helping in content at V3Cars.