Citroen Berlingo MPV spotted testing, India-bound?

Tuhin Guha Updated: August 28, 2020, 11:23 AM IST

Set to make its debut in India by early 2021, French carmaker Citroen seems to have started testing some more products that it may consider bringing into our market after the Citroen C5 Aircross debuts first. As these pictures suggest, the firm seems to be looking at the Citroen Berlingo MPV as its third offering for the Indian market. This is expected to follow the C3 Aircross SUV and come before the heavily localized C: Cubed-architecture based vehicles.

Citroen had earlier stated that the brand would launch two more products in India over three years following the debut of the C5 Aircross. But the recent trend has been of new entrants in the Indian market focusing on the mid-level SUV and rejuvenated MPV segments, Kia has debuted the Carnival and MG Motor India had also hinted at the G10 MPV being a possibility for our market. Further, with the MPV segment now widely spread out with not too many rivals at a given price point, this could be a good opportunity for Citroen to meet its market share goals for India.

In Europe, the Citroen Berlingo comes in two length options. The first, and seen here, is the 4.40m long M version that seats five, a longer XL version is 4.75m long and seats seven. The current, third-gen model debuted in 2018 and is based on the same EMP2 architecture that underpins the C5 Aircross. The MPV is powered by PSA's 1.2-litre turbo-petrol motor with outputs of 110PS or 130PS> the 1.5-litre diesel can be had in 75PS, 100PS and 130PS options. Both engines are paired with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed auto.

As seen here, the Berlingo carries Citroen's latest geometric design themes with the signature split headlamps, cuboidal details and the Air Bump side panels. Uniquely for India, the Berlingo also comes with sliding doors. The interiors are similarly practical too with numerous storage spaces, a dash-mounted shifter, separately foldable rear seats, a roof-mounted luggage compartment, an openable rear windscreen and a large three-part sunroof. There are most amenities you would expect in this segment too like keyless entry, parking cameras, eight-inch infotainment, climate control, LED lighting, and so on.

If the Berlingo does come to India, it'll fit in between the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the Toyota Innova Crysta, given its dimensions. We expect pricing to undercut that of the Innova, start from around the Rs 15 to 16 lakh bracket.

The Citroen India range: What we would like to see

Read our Citroen C5 Aircross review here.