The Citroën C5 Aircross, also spelled Citroen C5 Aircross in some other languages, is a compact crossover SUV produced by the French automaker Citroën since late 2017. It started as the Citroën Aircross concept car which was unveiled at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. The production version was officially presented for the Chinese market at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show.
Overview
In Europe, the model was presented at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show,[1] and sales began later that year with the 2019 model.[2][3] In 2018 production of the C5 Aircross started as well in France at the PSA plant in Rennes. The model takes advantage of the 100-million-euro investment share of Groupe PSA.[4] The C5 Aircross is also assembled in India as CKD since January 2021.[5]
Rear view (pre-facelift)
Interior (pre-facelift)
Features
On the technical side, the C5 Aircross is part of the Citroën "Advanced Comfort" program. Efforts have focused, in particular, on interior space and interior luminosity (notably through a large panoramic sliding roof) and on suspension comfort, via a new progressive hydraulic thrust system.
The European version has a choice of two petrol engines: the 1.2-litre PureTech 130 PS (128 hp; 96 kW) and the 1.6-litre PureTech 180 PS (178 hp; 132 kW), as well as two diesel versions: the 1.5-litre BlueHDi 130 PS (128 hp; 96 kW) and the 2.0-litre BlueHDi 180 PS (178 hp; 132 kW). Depending on the version, these different engines can be coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox, or an eight-speed EAT8 automatic transmission.
The C5 Aircross is also the first Citroën vehicle equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Introduced in November 2019, the plug-in hybrid system combines a PureTech 180 gasoline engine that develops 180 PS (178 hp; 132 kW) with an 80 kW (109 PS; 107 hp) electric motor, with a fully-electric range of around 50 km (31 mi) under WLTP testing standards.[7]
Chinese market
Sales in China started in the fall of 2017 for the 2018 model year. The engine options in China are the standard modern turbocharged 1.6-litre (350THP) and 1.8-litre (380THP) engines that are used as well in the Chinese Citroën C5 and C6 and the Peugeot 4008 and 5008 and the Peugeot 508 and some DS models. All these models use the 6 speed third-generation Tiptronic automatic transmission. The European and Chinese cars are largely identical, apart from the engine and gearbox options. In the interior, the European version has three individual adjustable and foldable seats, while the Chinese model has a fixed folding 60:40 bench at the back.
Front view (pre-facelift)
Rear view (pre-facelift)
Facelift
The European C5 Aircross gets a facelift in January 2022, with a major redesign of the front end, minor redesign of the rear end and new interior features.
The Chinese version is facelifted in July 2022. With the similar exterior changes to the European model, it was renamed from Dongfeng Citroën Tianyi C5 Aircross to Dongfeng Citroën Tianyi Beyond (or more rarely Dongfeng Citroën Tianyi Beyond C5 Aircross, as the name "C5 Aircross" is still present on the tailgate).[8][9]
In India, the facelift model was launched in September 2022.[10]
From 2023, CKD C5 Aircross are sent by Stellantis Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Corporation to the former Stellantis Kaluga plant, in Russia. Stellantis being out of this country since the sanctions against Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, these operations are done without its endorsement. Stellantis states having lost control of its Russian entities. The company based in Russia that assembles these CKD kits using the Kaluga plant is named "Automotive Technologies".[11]
Plug-in hybrid
In November 2022, the C5 Aircross received a 180 hp (130 kW) plug-in hybrid version.[12] Its petrol engine develops 150 hp (110 kW), less than the 225 hp (168 kW) hybrid version that also has electric range.[13]
The Citroën C5 Aircross was previewed by the Citroën Aircross concept car shown at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show, measuring 4,580 mm (180 in) in length and fitted with 22-inch wheels.[14][15]