Citroën C3 Aircross

Citroën C3 Aircross
C3 Aircross at the 2012 Montevideo Motor Show
Overview
Manufacturer	Citroën
Production	2010–present
Model years	2010–present
Assembly	Porto Real, Brazil (Citroën Brazil)
Designer	Donato Coco Jean-Pierre Ploué[1]
Body and chassis
Class	Mini SUV
Body style	5-door CUV
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Related	Citroën C3 Picasso Citroën C4 Aircross Peugeot 207
Powertrain
Engine	1.6-L VTi 16-valve I4 (petrol)
Transmission	5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,540 mm (100.0 in)[2]
Length	4,279 mm (168.5 in)[2]
Width	1,723 mm (67.8 in)[2]
Height	1,697 mm (66.8 in)[2]
Kerb weight	1,387 kg (3,058 lb)[2]

The Citroën C3 Aircross is a C3 Picasso-based mini SUV, first announced by Citroën's Brazilian division in August 2010. The C3 Aircross is manufactured in Porto Real, Brazil, and was launched in Brazil and Argentina in September 2010.^[3] Compared with the C3 Picasso, the restyled C3 Aircross has raised suspension, chrome roof bars, mirror covers, side skirts and a rear spare tyre.^[4][5] The Brazilian version is capable of running on E85 Bioethanol^[6] and is based on the Peugeot 207 SW platform.^[7] Ivan Segal, the managing director of Citroën of Brazil predicted sales of 30,000 Aircross models in a full year at launch,^[3] but lowered this expectation in 2011 to 2,000 Aircross models per month. Segal wanted to achieve this by targeting "young and adventurous" buyers.^[8]

Design and features

C3 Aircross rear side view, showing the higher ride height and spare wheel - added to create an off-road look

The Aircross features an upholstered fabric interior, with corduroy or leather options.^[9] The engine supports are designed to collapse downwards slightly in a front-end impact to prevent the engine from invading the cabin and injuring passengers. The C3 Aircross SX and Exclusive models have ABS, one of the few vehicles on sale in the Brazilian market with this feature.^[10] The C3 Aircross was designed with an obligation for green materials to be used where viable. 20 kg (44.1 lb) of the vehicle's polymers, include the parcel shelf, boot carpet, and partial use in the doors, are from natural fibres to meet this target.^[11]

Engines

In Brazil, the Aircross is available with a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox.^[12]

Petrol engines[13][14][15]
Model	Year	Engine code	Displacement (cc, cu in)	Power	Torque	0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) (seconds)	Top speed	Transmission	CO2 emissions (g/km)
1.6-litre VTi 16v (petrol)	2010-	EP6	1,587 (97)	110 PS (81 kW; 108 bhp)	142 N·m (105 lb·ft)	14	165 km/h (103 mph)	5-speed manual	220
1.6-litre VTi 16v (alcohol)	2010-	EP6	1,587 (97)	113 PS (83 kW; 111 bhp)	155 N·m (114 lb·ft)	14	165 km/h (103 mph)	5-speed manual	220
1.6-litre VTi 120 (petrol)	2013-	EP6	1,587 (97)	115 PS (85 kW; 113 bhp)	152 N·m (112 lb·ft)			5-speed manual
1.6-litre VTi 120 (alcohol)	2013-	EP6	1,587 (97)	122 PS (90 kW; 120 bhp)	161 N·m (119 lb·ft)			5-speed manual

2016 restyling

2016 Citroën C3 Aircross

In late 2015, a facelifted version of the C3 Aircross was introduced in South America as a 2016 model. The most significant changes are a new front end. The non-Aircross version was dropped.

Reviews

Autoblog.com reviewed the C3 Aircross, giving a mostly negative review to aspects and features of the vehicle. The basic X model launched with no airbags, ABS, or temperature sensor; the last of which they consider to be a necessity in the hot Latin American climate. They criticised the boot, calling it awkward and complicated since it can only open once an arm carrying the spare tyre has been unlocked and swung out of the way, which increases the space required for parking. Further, in their review, they complained that the dashboard mounted displays were difficult for the driver to see comfortably, echoing concerns CNET had when reviewing the C3 Picasso, where they called the displays "not particularly readable" and possibly dangerous to use while driving.^[16]

Only one engine is available for the C3 Aircross; a 1.6-Litre HDi used in other Citroën cars, including the Latin American market's C3 Picasso. Autoblog.com's review was favourable to it since it performed very well in the Aircross off-road, although it was noisy on-road. They found no discernible issues with the suspension, which handled well on and off the road, traversing irregular terrain without issues.^[9]

Overall, Autoblog.com considered the price of AR$80,000 to be unrealistically high for the lack of features they considered to be essential, and when compared to rivals.^[9][17]

Sales

Year	Argentina Sales	Brazil Sales	Notes
2010	0[18]	4,254[19]
2011	4,341[18]	16,717[20]
2012	3,910[21]	9,793[22]	Brazil sales figures only represent from January to the start of November.
2013	5,517[23]
2014	2,450[24]
2015	TBA	TBA

See also

• List of automobiles manufactured in Brazil
• List of Citroën vehicles
• Citroën C4 Picasso

References

1. "21 cars you can't drive in the US". News site. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
2. "(Portuguese)". Latin American vehicle market info. Tudo de Carros. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
3. Calmon, Fernando (26 July 2010). "C3 Aircross goes on sale". Just-auto.com. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
4. Fernando Calmon (9 April 2010). "C3 Picasso Aircross description". Just-auto.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
5. "C3 Picasso Aircross details". Citroënët. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
6. "Citroën News - Aircross runs on E85". Retrieved 16 August 2012.
7. "Autoblog Argentina Aircross review". Autoblog. Autoblog Argentina. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
8. Le Houelleur, Yann (30 August 2010). "Avec Aircross, Citroën met le turbo en Amérique latine" [With the Aircross, Citroën puts the turbo in Latin America]. L'Usine nouvelle (in French). Infopro Communications. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
9. Cristófalo, Carlos. "Autoblog.com C3 Aircross review (Spanish)". Reviewer, blog, news. Autoblog.com. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
10. Oliveira, Ricardo. "Brazilian C3 Aircross mystery shopper review". Mystery shopper of car dealerships. Jotoliveira. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
11. "Engine specs from PSA Peugeot Citroën" (PDF). Creator and designer. PSA Peugeot Citroën. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
12. "Ficha Technical 2013/14" (PDF). Citroen Brazil. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
13. "Citroën engine specifications". Creator. Citroën. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
14. "automobile-catalog.com HDi 90 EGS6 Airdream specs". Car infosite listing manufacturer claims and test results. automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
15. Grigole, M. "C3 Aircross consumption stats". Consumption values and mileage database. Spiritmonitor.de. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
16. Hide, Nick. "Cnet reviews the C3 Picasso". News and review site. Cnet. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
17. "autos.demotores review of the Aircross". Reviewer and car seller. autos.demotores.com. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
18. "matgasnier". "Argentina Aircross sales 2010/2011". Blog, sales data and statistics. Best selling cars blog. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
19. "Fenabrave Brazil market Aircross figs 2010 (Portuguese)". Statistical data for Brazil. Fenebrave. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
20. "Fenabrave Brazil market Aircross figs 2011 (Portuguese)". Statistical data for Brazil. Fenebrave. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
21. "Argentina Aircross sales 2012 (Spanish)". Autoblog. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
22. "Fenabrave Brazil market Aircross figs 2012 (Portuguese)". Statistical data for Brazil. Fenebrave. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
23. "Argentina Aircross sales 2013 (Spanish)". Autoblog. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
24. "Argentina Aircross sales 2014 (Spanish)". Autoblog. Retrieved 30 July 2015.

External links