Remember the funky, bright red Citroën Aircross concept from the Auto Shanghai 2015? Well, according to Autocar, the production version will finally debut at this year’s edition of the show, badged as the Citroën C5 Aircross – and brand CEO Linda Jackson has revealed the first teaser sketches of the new SUV on Twitter.
As far as we can tell, the production model will retain plenty of the show car’s form and detailing, including the dual-tier headlights and grille, triple front air intakes, silver window surrounds (no longer confined to just the rear side windows) and bumps low down on the rockers to prevent scratches, similar to the Airbumps on Citroën’s other crossover, the C4 Cactus.
At the rear, the four-chamber tail lights are a touch reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz GLA, but apart from that it’s fairly distinctive, with a wraparound windscreen and a large rear valence with twin integrated tailpipes. Although the wheels look large in the sketches, don’t expect the real deal to come with the concept’s massive 22-inch wheels.
Built on the EMP2 platform that underpins the new DS7 Crossback, expect the C5 Aircross to come with the latter’s range of engines, including the ubiquitous Prince 1.6 litre THP turbocharged four-cylinder petrol mill, a 1.2 litre PureTech turbo petrol three-pot and a 1.6 litre BlueHDi turbodiesel; a plug-in hybrid model could also feature. Transmission options should include a six-speed manual and a new eight-speed automatic.
Production is set to kick off at the PSA Group’s Rennes plant in early 2018. Autocar reports that the success of the new car in Asian markets would be crucial in determining its sales performance worldwide, which would explain its China debut. Last year’s CXperience concept was meant to gauge reaction to a traditional sedan replacement to the outgoing C5, but it appears those plans have been canned in favour of this SUV.
The C5 Aircross won’t be the only member of the Aircross family – Geneva’s C-Aircross concept previews another crossover, likely to be badged the C3 Aircross and positioned under the C4 Cactus.
GALLERY: Citroën Aircross Concept
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Bring in the plug-in-hybrid… use it as a selling point. Do it before the japs overlord catch on. Color it green and call it Ninja Turtle Edition. Will the production retain the suicide doors? That’s kool.
I betcha when the real C5 do come to fruition/in real form, the tires will shrink.
looks like it has 6 exhaust pipes ^^