Ahead of its launch in the coming few months, Citroen India has shed some light on the positioning of the upcoming 2022 Citroen C3 crossover. Citroen seems to be following the template set by its Stellantis sibling Jeep and will look to be a premium player in the segment it operates in. In the case of the C3, this is the B-SUV segment currently occupied by the Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite and Tata Punch.
Stellantis India has stated that this premium-positioning strategy has worked for it in India, despite fewer volumes than rivals. The Jeep brand is a profitable business which seems to have led the firm to follow a similar strategy with Citroen. The French brand still isn't fully established in the country yet and with most of the large-volume carmakers already present in and around this segment, finding the initial volumes for the C3 to function at the same economies of scale as its rivals may be a difficult strategy to implement.
Further, the Citroen dealership network is still being developed, although a significant expansion is planned to go with the C3 launch. The brand is currently largely present in the major Tier-1 urban centres in India which limited its reach among a large section of prospective buyers. Instead, the focus will likely be on providing a high-quality, easy sales and service experience through its premium showrooms and its many after-sales facilities like the car home-delivery plan and the many financing and service initiatives.
In keeping with this placement, the Citroen C3 should come with a turbo-petrol engine option, the Puretech 1.2-litre three-cylinder with 110PS and 205 Nm. This could be paired with a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque-converter, unlike the AMT option usually provided by rivals.
Similarly, the customisation program that Citroen is expected to debut with the C3 should also tie in with this strategy. Much of the car's look could possibly be altered with numerous paint themes and accessories for the outside while on the inside buyers should be able to pick features as well as an interior theme. Expect prices of the Citroen C3 to start from Rs 7 to 8 lakh when it launches by next month.
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highlights
BJP stands exposed of personal vendetta and political terror, Patel tweets.
A confident P Chidambaram backs Congress party's resilience
There appears no sight to the drama in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls. The BJP is reportedly not allowing the counting of votes to take place. It has asked Election Commission to address its complaint over the issue of privacy of votes, reports CNN-News18. Remember, a battery of BJP leaders including Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman, RS Prasad and Piyush Goyal had arrived at the EC headquarters on Tuesday evening.
Ahmed Patel thanks Congress leaders who backed him.
RECAP
To bring you up to speed on the developments in the evening, counting for the Rajya Sabha polls will end soon. The EC has disqualified the votes cast by two rebel Congress MLAs on the ground that they had showed ballot papers to BJP's Amit Shah.
Earlier in the evening, Congress had alleged that rebel MLAs had flashed their ballot papers to BJP President Amit Shah. Thereafter, the party approached the Election Commission and the counting of votes, which was to start at 5 pm, was put on hold.
Remember Congress leader Ahmed Patel needs 45 votes to make it to the Rajya Sabha. Reports indicate that he got 43 votes from Congress and one each from the NCP and JD(U).
The battleground then moved from Rajya Sabha to Election Commission which disqualified votes cast by two rebel Congress MLAs.
BJP legislator Nalin Kotadiya admits to crossvoting for the Congress.
The cliffhanger doesn't end at EC disqualification. BJP MLA Nalin Kotadiya says he voted for Congress nominee Ahmed Patel, in a Facebook post. This is likely to tilt the scales in favour of Patel.
Celebrations after EC disqualification of 2 rebel MLA votes.
The wait on the Election Commission verdict has ended. Big setback for the BJP. The EC has disqualified the votes cast by two rebel Congress MLAs, reports CNN-News18.
CNN-News18 reports that Election Commission officials have reviewed the video and that the counting will be completed tonight. No word yet on the decision over the validity of votes cast by two MLAs.
Surjewala says that Congress has communicated its grievances to the EC in writing and has given evidence to support their claim.
Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala and RPN Singh are addressing the media outside the Election Commission. He says the party wants cancellation of two votes. There is a legal ground for quashing of votes, he adds. The party has expressed its concerns and raised a complaint with EC, says Singh.
The sole JD(U) legislator has confirmed to News18 that he voted for Ahmed Patel.
Congress' Gujarat in-charge Ashok Gehlot admits that one party MLA cross-voted, but insists that Ahmed Patel will still win.
CNN-News18 reports that Congress legislator Karamsinh Makwana has cross-voted.
Some more bad news for the Congress. Senior party leader Arjun Modhwadia says that two party legislators who were part of the group that was shipped off to the Bengaluru resort have defied party orders and voted for the BJP candidate.
Shankersinh Vaghela, who resigned as Leader of Opposition and quit the Congress a fortnight ago, says he will not vote for Ahmed Patel. This is important given that his loyalists may also follow suit.
Voting has begun in the state Assemblies.
That's a wrap on the high-stakes Rajya Sabha elections. Thanks for staying tuned. Follow moneycontrol.com for news, views and updates.
SUMMARY
* Congress' Ahmed Patel wins Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat
* Patel received 44 votes, the exact number needed to win the election
* In late-night drama, Election Commission disqualified votes of two Congress rebels
* Amit Shah and Smriti Irani also elected to Rajya Sabha
In all, 11 Rajya Sabha members — one from Goa, one from Madhya Pradesh, six from West Bengal and three from Gujarat — were elected.
FULL REPORT | Rajya Sabha elections: Here who's got elected and re-elected
Why Patel's win matters: A defeat could have meant more trouble for the Congress.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also congratulated Ahmed Patel on his victory.
"How much more evidence do we require to understand that we opposition parties are up against a ruthless, finely tuned BJP political machine," Abdullah said.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has said that Congress leader Ahmed Patel's win in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls "should have never been this difficult" and the opposition needs to introspect and shift strategy to counter the BJP in the 2019 general elections.
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath says the party has always fought back.
Amit Shah is choosing to focus on the third anniversary of his tenure as BJP President, thanking his followers his Twitter for their wishes. He has not yet commented on his Rajya Sabha victory or the BJP candidate's defeat to Ahmed Patel.
There is no confirmation from the BJP yet over whether they will approach the courts over the EC's decision to disallow two votes.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi says she is very happy with Ahmed Patel's victory. "Thank god for the Election Commission," she says.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad says the defeat is a lesson for the BJP and they are free to approach any court.
Kailash Vijayvargiya puts things in perspective. "We have won two seats and Congress only one [in Gujarat], no question of disappointment," the BJP leader tells News18.
JD(U) legislator Chhotubhai Vasava is also believed to have voted for Ahmed Patel, defying the party whip.
JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav has congratulated Ahmed Patel on his Rajya Sabha victory. The JD(U) is now part of the NDA, but Yadav has been against the idea.
Meanwhile, six leaders were elected to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal on Wednesday. Five of them were from the Trinamool Congress -Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Manas Bhunia, Shanta Chhetri. Pradip Bhattachya of the Congress was also elected to the Upper House.
Meanwhile, there's been no official reaction from Amit Shah on either his victory or BJP's defeat to Ahmed Patel. He completes three years as BJP President today.
Meanwhile, there's been no official reaction from Amit Shah on either his victory or BJP's defeat to Ahmed Patel. He completes three years as BJP President today.
There is speculation that the BJP may approach the courts regarding the Election Commission's decision to disqualify the two votes. We should get some clairty as the day progresses.
In the end, it was two disqualified votes that helped take Ahmed Patel over the line. Here's a recap.
SUMMARY
*Congress' Ahmed Patel wins Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat
* Patel received 44 votes, the exact number needed to win election
* In late-night drama, Election Commission disqualified votes of two Congress rebels
* Amit Shah and Smriti Irani also elected to Rajya Sabha
Ahmed Patel has gone from a low-profile politician to the centre of attention in the past month. Here's a short history of Patel's career.
Why does Patel's win matter so much? Read our report.
After late-night drama that saw Ahmed Patel retain his seat, we can expect to see reactions pour in through the day.
That's all from the Rajya Sabha election for now. Log on to www. moneycontrol.com for coverage of the Rajya Sabha elections during the day. Thanks for staying tuned.