Heads up, because Citroën has already released the first full images of the new C3 Aircross

There is no denying that SUVs have been gaining ground on other cars across the different segments, especially in the B segment, where the competition from B-SUVs is fierce. In this segment alone, more than two million cars are registered each year. This is the segment in which today’s protagonist competes: a model that arrived in 2017 and will soon go on sale with a completely new look.

We are talking about the new Citroën C3 Aircross, a model we already knew the brand had nearly ready when, last October, it showed its first images through a play of shadows. Now we can see it in all its glory, at least as far as its exterior is concerned, showing itself as expected, adopting the brand’s new design language and with an appearance similar to the saloon version but with the features typical of the Aircross version.

As we already knew, the C3 Aircross is built on Stellantis’s Smart Car platform, the same one used in other models in the group, such as the new Opel Frontera, of which the C3 Aircross is a sibling. As has happened in recent years, when all vehicles have grown in size, the C3 Aircross is no exception. That small city car, for which the urban environment was its playground, is now far in the past: the new C3 Aircross now reaches a length of 4,390 mm, together with a wheelbase that also increases in size, the largest in its segment.

The only advantage of a small car growing in size is felt inside, since what it undoubtedly loses is agility when moving through city traffic, especially when parking. As a result, occupants will enjoy greater comfort in the rear seats, where they will have more legroom. However, the great novelty of the new Citroën C3 Aircross, and for the B-SUV segment, is that it will be able to offer up to seven seats. We will see how versatile and useful these two extra seats are, but even if they are only for emergencies, they will certainly prove handy.

Looking now at its bodywork, the Citroën C3 Aircross shows, as we mentioned, the brand’s new language that we saw on the C3 saloon, with a really upright front end where the newly designed Citroën chevrons proudly stand, together with the new light signature made up of three distinct segments. Its SUV character is reinforced by the silver lower sections simulating protection on both bumpers, a high bonnet, straight rather than rounded lines like the outgoing generation, widened tracks, and wheel arches in a different colour from the bodywork that cover 690 mm wheels in diameter. All of this is complemented by the personalisation options that have always characterised the different versions of the C3.

For now the brand is not offering further details or photographs of the interior, and the same goes for the engine range, although Citroën does anticipate that the C3 Aircross will offer a choice between petrol combustion engines and a hybrid option, to which a low-cost electric powertrain will eventually be added. Even so, we will not have to wait long to learn more details, as the brand intends to launch it before next summer.