Citroen’s updated C3 is arriving in Australia in the first quarter of 2021 with a freshened look and some new features.
While the rear of the C3 is unchanged, up front there’s a mildly tweaked face. The chrome bar that connects with the bottom chevron of the grille now bends downward towards the second tier of the C3’s forward lighting.
The C3’s headlights are now LED, while the car also picks up front parking sensors.
The number of Airbumps “capsules” down each side of the C3 is down from seven to three but they’re now larger, while there are new 16- and 17-inch alloy wheel designs and two new colours.
Inside, there are new Advanced Comfort seats as on the C5 Aircross SUV, which Citroen says are reminiscent of plush armchairs. The driver’s seat features an armrest and adjustable lumbar.
There’s also the option of faux wood trim, which Citroen calls Techwood. Inspired by Scandinavian furniture, the faux wood is matched with a similarly-hued strip across the seats.
Expect Citroen to offer the same wide array of exterior colour combinations in Australia as the current model, if not quite as many as the 97 combinations Citroen now on offer in Europe.
We expect Citroen will continue to offer just a single C3 model.
Currently, Citroen offers the C3 in Shine trim with a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 81kW of power and 205Nm of torque, mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission. It’s priced at $26,990 before on-road costs, putting it at the pointy end of the light car segment.
The Shine comes standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and satellite navigation, as well as proximity entry, push-button start, 16-inch alloy wheels, and a reversing camera with rear parking sensors.
Standard safety equipment includes blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, traffic sign recognition, and autonomous emergency braking.
With the discontinuation of the DS3 in 2016 and the temporary absence of the Peugeot 208 from the local line-up, the C3 is PSA’s only light car here.
It’s always been a niche offering in Australia, even more so than its Peugeot cousin of which PSA has typically sold more than three times as many examples of each year.
Last year, Citroen sold just 79 C3s. In contrast, Audi sold around four times as many examples of its pricier A1 while Peugeot sold 60 of its 208, which had been discontinued earlier in the year.
