Citroën Basalt launched In India At ₹7.99 Lakh

The Citroën Basalt has made its official India debut on 9^th August 2024 at an introductory price of ₹7.99 lakh (ex-showroom) and this price will be valid on cars being delivered till 31^st October 2024. Bookings for the SUV have commenced both online on their website or offline via dealers at an amount of ₹11,001 with deliveries set to start by September 2024.

Underpinnings And Design

The Basalt is based on the same Stellantis group CMP platform as its siblings; the C3 and the C3 Aircross, with the overall design being very similar and it sharing many styling elements with them as well. The main and instantly recognizable differentiator present here is the new silhouette of the car in the form of a ‘coupe’ with the roof line sloping towards the rear. Other design features include the signature ‘double chevron’ Citroën logo at the front, ‘X-split’ LED DRLs, 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, boxy wheel arches and the distinct LED tail lamp design as seen on other cars from the same stable. As for ground clearance on offer, it gets a healthy 180mm and a wheelbase of 2651mm.

Interior And Features

Inside the cabin, it gets a 10.25-inch infotainment screen along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 7-inch fully digital driver’s display which also has customisable modes. The outer two rear seats get winged headrests that act as neck support and an innovative three step height adjustable thigh support. Other notable items include an automatic climate control, rear AC vents and a wireless phone charger at the front. As far as the boot space is concerned, it gets a capacity of 470 litres. In terms of standard equipment across the range, six airbags, Hill Hold Control, ESP, TPMS and keyless engine start are available.

Powertrain

There are two engine and three transmission options on offer: a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that comes mated to a five-speed manual gearbox which produces 81 bhp, 11.726 kgm and the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque convertor automatic, that churns out 108 bhp and 19.374 kgm (Manual) / 20.904 kgm (Automatic) of torque. At the performance side of things, the 0 to 100 kmph sprint takes a claimed 9.95 seconds, equipped with the 1.2-litre turbo motor.

Pricing And Competition

As mentioned above, the prices start at ₹7.99 lakh, which is introductory pricing and will apply only to cars delivered before 31^st October 2024, the entire price list for all the variants is yet to be revealed. The Basalt does not have a direct rival technically due to its bonkers size-to-price ratio but the also recently unveiled Tata Curvv comes the closest in terms of body-style and size. Markedly, only prices for the Curvv EV have been announced at present, which start at ₹17.49 lakh (ex-showroom) and the ICE models’ pricing has not been disclosed as of now.