Citroen Basalt coming in hot but not like a Dassault

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The lesson is, don’t be salty about competition, but be a Basalt

As you probably know, Tata and Mahindra are busy developing coupe versions of their popular SUVs. Tata has this Curvv thing going on while Mahindra has at least three of those in the works—containing Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform bits. And so, Citroen wants to join the bandwagon with the Basalt, a coupe-SUV, designed for both India and South American markets.

Citroen classifies the Basalt as a concept (or, should we say “a near-production prototype”), but as you can probably tell, it is not very far from rolling off the assembly line. In case you haven’t figured it out already, the Basalt is essentially a coupe version of the second-gen C3 Aircross—which debuted a year ago. I think we should appreciate that there are noticeable visual differences in the way the regular SUV and this coupe look. On the front fascia, the lower grilles/intakes and the silver applique are a bit different.

#Citroen #CitroenBasalt pic.twitter.com/upu3lr8pIS

— Sagar (@autodevot) April 7, 2024

But as we know, these coupe-SUVs are mostly about side and rear profiles. The roofline doesn’t appear to slope very aggressively, which means the second-row should be usable—even for taller occupants (at least for those up to 6-feet). The Basalt doesn’t appear to offer a sunroof (no, not for South America either), but the black roof kinda nicely blends with the front and rear windscreens. The alloy wheels are different too from the one used on the C3 Aircross.

I think the Basalt looks the best from the rear-three-quarter angles. While the headlight units are the same, the taillights are different and contribute significantly to the vehicle’s sporty appeal.

Citroen didn’t share any further details, but the Basalt in India will most likely be offered with the same 1.2L 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine with 81 kW (110 metric hp) and 205 Nm (151 lb-ft). Transmission options will be a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic.