Citroen India To Commence Vehicle Export From This Month

Automaker Citroen India on Wednesday said it will commence exports of its vehicles from Kamarajar Port in Tamil Nadu to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and African markets from this month.

Citroen, which is a part of the Stellantis group, further said that it has inked an initial pact with Kamarajar Port for shipping out the vehicles to the overseas market, the company said in a statement. Stellantis Group was formed by the merger of two global auto majors -- FCA and Grope PSA. PAIPL, the Indian affiliate of Citroen India, will be exporting the Made-In-India 'New C3' B-hatch vehicles to countries in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Africa.

The exports of vehicles will commence this month as completely-built units, the company said in the statement. "In 2019, we started exporting powertrains from our Hosur facility and with the commencement of the New C3 exports as a CBU this year we are marking a key milestone in our India journey,” said Roland Bouchara, CEO and MD, Stellantis India. The Port has entered into an agreement with PCA Automobiles to offer its services for export of Citroen brand vehicles to countries in ASEAN  and Africa, said Sunil Paliwal, Chairman and managing Director of Kamarajar Port Limited. “Associating with PCA Automobiles will help us augment our export operations. We hope to make this collaboration a success and contribute to India's economy,” he said. According to Guy Lederer, head of  supply chain and logistics for India, Asia Pacific at Stellantis, "Kamarajar Port meets all of Citroën's requirements to export vehicles from India as part of its  internationalization strategy. The facility will be used to export made-in-India Citroën vehicles from the smart car platform to the world.”