Spied: Citroen C3 spotted in Malaysia, could this spell the return of Citroen?

When Berjaya Auto Alliance Sdn Bhd (BAASB) took over the Peugeot distributorship for Malaysia from Naza back in 2020, it seemingly left Citroen out. For now, the double chevron brand still has no plans of making a return to Malaysia and yet we came across these photos of a barely disguised Citroen C3 from a reader.

Taken near Bukit Bintang, the C3 in question has its badges removed or covered up. Citroen has recently announced that it has returned to the Indonesian market so perhaps Malaysian fans of the quirky French brand might be anticipating its comeback.

Unfortunately, we had to burst their bubble because this C3 is likely being tested for internal development by Stellantis, the parent company of Citroen.

It bears the same trade plate as the one seen on the Citroen C4 that was spotted late last year. Though Citroen has exited the Malaysian market, BAASB is in charge of providing aftersales support for owners of the deux chevrons.

Also read: Opel Mokka and Citroen C4 spotted in Malaysia – What are they doing here?

Meanwhile, Stellantis has taken full control of the Gurun plant from Naza and is looking to set Malaysia as its production hub for Southeast Asia. Malaysia is also the regional training hub for Stellantis, so said car may not necessary point to an impending launch.

Also read: Naza moves out, Stellantis takes full control of Gurun plant. CKD Peugeot 2008 coming soon

Back to the Citroen C3, it is a B-segment crossover hatchback that is catered for developing markets like South America and India. It was launched in the sub-continent in June 2022 where it is also locally built in Tiruvallur, India.

The Indian-spec C3 is powered by a naturally-aspirated or turbocharged 1.2-litre 3-pot engine that makes 82 PS/115 Nm and 110 PS/190 Nm respectively. The NA unit is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission while the turbocharged one is mated to a 6-speed manual that drives the front wheels.

An automatic option is expected to be launched in India in January 2023 but despite wearing a cosmopolitan European badge, it is a very basic car. There is no rear windscreen wiper, LED headlamps, central locking, and tachometer on even the highest variant.

Though high-end variants get a large 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment head unit with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there is no reverse camera and alloy wheels are part of an optional accessory.

Based on the features that have been described here, it seems that the Citroen C3 is very unlikely to be sold in Malaysia if Citroen were to reintroduce itself. In fact, it doesn’t seem likely for the brand to even make its return unless Stellantis have really announced a distributor for the quirky French marque.

Also read: These 12 cars were discontinued in Malaysia in 2021 – Jazz, Outlander, Myvi MT, and more