Citroën Basalt Coupe SUV Makes Global Debut

The Citroën Basalt finally breaks cover! The Coupe SUV is the brand’s fifth model in India and is also the fourth model in the C-Cubed programme. The Basalt kickstarts the affordable Coupe SUV segment in India which will also see the introduction of the Tata Curvv later this year. 

The Basalt will launch in India in the second half of 2024 and Citroën says it will also be available in the South American markets. Citroën says the Basalt will be manufactured at its plant in Chennai. 

The Coupe SUV from Citroën shares most of its design with the C3 Aircross but that’s only till the B pillar. At the front, the Basalt gets LED projector headlamps, whereas the C3 Aircross gets halogen headlamps. Furthermore, the grille has more prominent, chrome inserts in the grille which aren’t present in the C3 Aircross. Even the division of the two-part grille has body-coloured inserts on the Basalt. 

From the B pillar onwards, the roof of the Basalt slopes downwards, as expected in a Coupe SUV. The Basalt looks like a sedan on stilts because of this. The window line of the Basalt also curves upwards and extends behind the rear windows. Like the C3 Aircross, the Basalt also has wraparound taillamps but sports a different design. The Basalt also has a wraparound rear windscreen and sports a different alloy wheel design compared to the C3 Aircross. 

Citroën hasn’t revealed the interior of the Basalt but expect it to come with a large infotainment touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, digital instrument cluster, wireless charging, automatic climate control, cruise control and more. For safety, expect Citroën to offer six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, reverse camera, ISOFIX and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), among others. 

The powertrain options of the Basalt also remain under wraps but it can be expected to come with the same 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine like the C3 Aircross. This engine is expected to develop 109 bhp and 205 Nm and could come with 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox options. 

Once launched, the Basalt will rival the likes of the upcoming Tata Curvv and compact sedans like the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus. Expect the Basalt to be priced around ₹12 - 15 lakh (ex-showroom, India).