CARS OF THE WORLD

Citroën BASALT 2024.

The Citroën Basalt, the counterpart of the late Russian Renault Arkana, has been announced.

The new coupe-like parketnik is addressed to poor markets. The first demonstration will be held in a couple of days.

In 2021, Citroen announced that it will create a whole family of budget cars for developing markets: the project was designated as C-Cubed.

The firstborn was a hatchback C3, then joined by a small crossover C3 Aircross, which is nevertheless available with a three-row saloon (in both cases — not to be confused with the eponymous Citroens for Europe).

The cars are produced in Brazil and India. And now the third model is announced.

In general, it was thought that the range will be replenished with a sedan, but no, it is again a five-door. The brand itself positions the forthcoming car as a coupe-like SUV, and the index C3 is not assigned to it: for the novelty they invented a separate name Basalt.

Well, in fact, we are probably waiting for the premiere of the «elevated» liftback.

As well as other budget C-Cubed, the «coupe» will be built on the CMP platform.

Most likely, Citroen Basalt will also be unified with its brothers: in particular, it can get similar head optics, hood and exterior mirrors.

But the stern, of course, will be designed differently, and it is not only about the body behind the rear pillars: for example, the teaser shows the original lights.

Dimensions of the cross-coupe are unknown. The length of the Brazilian Citroen C3 Aircross is 4320 mm, wheelbase — 2675 mm.

Inside the coupe-like parketnik will surely repeat its relatives, that is, we expect a digital dashboard and a large tablet of multimedia system rising above the front panel.

Technique Basalt will share with budget C3 Aircross — stuffing differs depending on the market.

So, in Brazil coupe-like parketnik will be offered with turbo-trike 1.0 from Fiat: traditionally for this country the motor works both on gasoline (125 hp), and on ethanol (130 hp), the engine is combined with a variator.

In India, the novelty will be available with a gasoline three-cylinder engine 1.2 with an output of 110 hp, which is completed with a six-speed manual or classic six-speed automatic.

But the drive in all models of the C-Cubed family is exclusively front-wheel drive.

Online show of Citroen Basalt will be held on March 27. As well as related models Citroen C3 and C3 Aircross, coupe-like parketnik will be made at Brazilian and Indian factories.

In India, the Basalt will compete with the Tata Curvv (serial version is not yet presented), and in Brazil, the main rival of the novelty will be a «colleague» in the concern Stellantis — Fiat Fastback.

Citroen Basalt will be delivered to other poor markets, that is, somewhere it will also certainly clash with Renault Arkana (cross-coupe Renault is available, for example, in Costa Rica, although it differs from the Russian deceased Arkana).

Meanwhile, in the more distant future, the Indian Basalt may get an electric version — the local Citroen C3 hatchback has such a version.

At the same time, the Indians hope that the safety of the cross-coupe will still pay more attention: the electric hatchback has just failed crash tests.