Citroën’s C3-XR small SUV will only be offered on the Chinese market, with the French carmaker ruling out European sales of the model. Built in a PSA Peugeot Citroën plant in Wuhan, China, the C3-XR will arrive in local dealerships in December.
According to Citroën CEO Linda Jackson, the C3-XR was specifically designed for the Chinese market, where customers want more spacious interiors, larger overall designs and automatic transmissions. This is why the C3-XR won’t come to Europe. But that’s not the only reason.
If the C3-XR came to Europe, it would compete with the Peugeot 2008. There’s also the C4 Cactus, which Citroën says is a better fit for the European market than the C3-XR, which is offered in China exclusively with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Launched earlier this year in European markets, the C4 Cactus has proven to be a success so far, with PSA Peugeot Citroën adding extra production shifts at its Villaverde plant near Madrid to meet increasing demand for the new model.
According to a report from La Tribuna de Automocion, production workers at PSA’s plant will work on four Saturdays during November. The plant manager told local journalists that production would grow by 20 percent. Industry analysts forecast annual sales of between 50,000 and 100,000 units for the C4 Cactus.
Story references: AutoNews Europe
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