Citroën C5 Aircross to be reinvented as flagship with 435-mile range

Citroën is gearing up to launch a new version of the C5 Aircross next year that will effectively become its flagship model and gain electric power for the first time.

The French firm has committed to focusing on main-segment models in the future. As a result, it will not replace the slow-selling C5 X, but that saloon’s more popular SUV sibling will survive into a new generation.

 The C5 Aircross was launched in the UK in 2018 and is currently offered with petrol and hybrid powertrains. For its second generation, it will switch to the multi-powertrain STLA Medium platform shared with the Peugeot e-3008 and the Vauxhall Grandland.

Citroën boss Thierry Koskas confirmed the new platform will allow the C5 Aircross to be offered with an electric powertrain for the first time and he said this was something “we really want to offer”.

The platform is natively front-drive and the single-motor version of the e-3008 makes 207bhp, although a twin-motor 316bhp version is also offered. 

The platform can accommodate either a 73kWh or a 98kWh battery, the latter giving the Peugeot a range of 435 miles.

While the STLA Medium platform was developed with a focus on electric power, it still allows for hybrid cars.

Koskas confirmed the C5 Aircross will be offered with standard and plug-in hybrid powertrains – making it the only model in Citroën’s future line-up that will have a PHEV.

“Plug-in hybrid can be an answer to some of the requirements of the market [for that car],” said Koskas. “But it’s another cost because the battery is not small, so to put it in smaller cars doesn’t make sense.”

The new C5 Aircross is tipped to take styling cues from the recently launched C3, which introduced the brand’s new design language. That suggests a focus on a more boxy and expressive design, along with Citroën’s new logo.

The second-generation model will be positioned above the heavily revised C4, which is set to be revealed in the coming months and will also take styling cues from the smaller C3.

Speaking about the decision to axe the C5 X, Koskas said: “It’s the flagship today, but it’s pretty marginal. Not because it’s not successful: its market share is pretty good, but the segment is absolutely tiny.”