As the Shanghai Auto Salon for 2015 gets underway at the end of April, Citroën will make its presence felt by showing its Aircross concept – an upscale SUV based on their hot selling C4 Cactus in the European market. Still pushing their “classic innovation” roots, Citroën will again tout that they have unleashed their creativity, this time concentrating on a unique SUV design.
The Aircross is roughly the size of the Honda CR-V, which is a highly competitive segment around the globe. Decked out in concept form, the Aircross boasts reverse opening rear doors that allow for unobstructed side access, garish-looking bumpers, bump-absorbing materials on the side doors, thin framed external mirrors, accentuated rear window frames, 3D-effect lights in the rear and huge 22-inch wheels.
Power comes from a 218hp 1.6-litre petrol-turbo engine and a plug-in electric motor to bring total power output to 313 hp. Citroen says the Aircross Concept is capable of running on pure electricity for a maximum distance of 50km. More interesting figures are the combined fuel economy of 58km/L and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.5sec.
Inside the main feature is two prominent 12-inch high-definition screens fitted onto to an otherwise simple fascia, one of which can move across the dash in order for all of the passengers to see it. Likewise, the seats themselves (which are said to be “king size”) are unique with the inclusion of integrated speakers and an integrated microphone. The latter features allows passengers to talk to each other even if they’re spaced (relatively) far apart. There are even cameras on the outside of the car for documenting trips.
Production details have not been announced, but since it’s being debuted in China, Citroën is seems to be poising themselves to tackle the potential market there.
