Peugeot 208 being used as the vehicle to test PSA components in India

The Indian auto industry is constantly growing and the international automakers are highly interested in this profitable and rapidly developing market. India is going to witness the entry of a handful of new automakers very soon among which MG and Kia are making headlines with their full swing reparations to start their Indian operations. On the other hand, there are companies like the French carmaker Peugeot which is preparing for its second innings in India. Peugeot’s parent PSA group is preparing for its re-entry in India for quite some time now and is currently testing its components in India utilizing the Peugeot 208.

A Peugeot 208 test model prototype was spotted testing on the roads of Pune, recently by an auto journal reader. It is already known that PSA Group is testing its components for the company’s ‘Smart Car’ project in India that involves the development of 3 vehicle models. These 3 new upcoming models in India are internally called the Smart Car 1 which is going to be a premium hatchback to fight with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai i20; Smart Car 2 – a compact SUV to rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta; and the Smart Car 3, which is a C-segment sedan to be pitched against the likes of the Honda City. Thus, Peugeot is planning to launch three models in some of the most popular segments of the Indian market. All these three higher segment models from the house of PSA will be based on the Common Modular Platform (CMP).

The CMP is a new platform which PSA co-developed with the Chinese auto manufacturer Dongfeng Motors. The versatile CMP can churn out models in several segments including B and C segments of hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers. Moreover, the CMP comes with an EV compatible variant known as the eCMP. The eCMP platform will also come in PSA Group’s aid, as the Indian EV market develops in a matter of time.

While it was earlier thought that PSA Group will re-enter the Indian market with its Peugeot brand, right now there are confusions regarding the same, as the company has not confirmed anything. More, recently reports suggested that PSA’s first Indian product this time would be the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV. There are 5 brands under the PSA Group umbrella, namely - Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, Vauxhall and DS. The Peugeot name is already known in India although it had a very brief spell in our market back in the 1990s. While the other 3 brands are very unlikely to hit India, Citroen makes sense as it has a bit less premium and accessible product range.

PSA group formed a joint venture with the Indian industrial group CK Birla Group to re-enter the Indian market, where the latter will hold the majority stake for the vehicles. PSA and CK Brila Group have also formed another equally owned joint venture to manufacture and supply powertrains.

PSA Group also owns the iconic Indian Ambassador brand name and is reportedly considering resurrecting it in a new avatar. PSA is to commence production in India by early next year. As per reports, the Citroen C5 Aircross will come via the CKD route and assembled locally in India.