Citroen’s first model for India, the C5 Aircross SUV has secured a four-star safety rating in the latest round of crash tests conducted by Euro NCAP. The test model was equipped with safety features such as six airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and loadlimiters, Isofix child seat mounts and seatbelt reminders.
The Citroen C5 Aircross was awarded 33.4 points out of 38 for adult occupancy, 42.6 out of 49 for child occupants, 27.9 out of 48 for pedestrian safety and 9.8 out of 13 for its safety assist systems. According to Euro NCAP, the C5 Aircross is “good” across all these parameters barring its Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system, which was deemed as “marginal”.
While the C5 Aircross may not have received the highest Euro NCAP rating, it is important to note that the Euro NCAP and the Global NCAP ratings differ vastly in terms of their scoring systems. Euro NCAP takes four aspects into account: driver + passenger safety, child safety, vulnerability to road users and driver assist features. On the other hand, Global NCAP only accounts for driver + passenger and child safety scores for their tests. Indian made cars that have received a test score through the NCAP programme all receive their score through Global NCAP, and not Euro NCAP. Therefore, the C5 Aircross, which was awarded four stars in the Euro NCAP crash test, is expected to achieve a five-star Global NCAP rating due to the driver + passenger and child safety scores.
For India, the Citroen C5 Aircross will only be available with a single 130hp, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine, paired to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. To be manufactured at CK Birla’s facility in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, the Citroen C5 Aircross will launch in India by the end of 2020 and will act as a brand builder for future Citroen models in the country.
Expect the Citroen C5 Aircross' price in India to be close to the Rs 30 lakh mark, which will position it against the Volkswagen Tiguan.
Also see:
Citroen to launch a new model in India every year from 2021
The Citroen SUV range: A close look
Why PSA chose Citroen over Peugeot for India