Citroen C5 X confirmed for Australia

The all-new 2022 Citroen C5 X has been confirmed for Australian release in the third quarter of next year, and it could become the French brand’s first electrified model Down Under.

Revealed in April and now on sale in Europe, where the born-again Citroen C5 – reincarnated as a high-riding crossover wagon – is available with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain, the C5 X will become the new flagship of Citroen Australia’s slender model range.

The 2022 Citroen C5 X will join the crossover-style C3 small hatch released earlier this year, the C5 Aircross medium SUV launched here in mid-2019 and the new crossover-style C4 hatch to be released this month.

Speaking at the launch of the new C4, Peugeot Citroen Australia general manager Kate Gillis confirmed the C5 X for local release next year and said the Citroen brand was considering its electrification strategy in Australia.

Electrified model options available to Citroen Australia include the pure-electric e-C4 and PHEV versions of the upcoming C5 X and the existing C5 Aircross.

Citroen’s local boss confirmed both the e-C4 and C5 X PHEV were under local evaluation as part of a broader electrification strategy for the French brand Down Under.

“We’re very excited about the C5 X that’s coming to Australia next year. We’re planning that one at the minute. It really does touch a lot of the Citroen points – you’ve got this beautiful saloon-hatch that’s very well appointed,” said Gillis.

“What we're working through at the minute is getting that specification right. With regards to PHEV, [it’s] absolutely on the table at the minute for evaluation, but we'll be able to provide some further detail as we get closer to the details with the launch. We’re very excited for 2022. We’re evaluating it and our PHEV strategy in Australia.

“Part of that evaluation of e and PHEV is ensuring that we’ve got the momentum and the right staging of momentum as we get into 2022 and beyond. So this is definitely on the table at the moment.”

Gillis confirmed the C3 Aircross small SUV, which is about to be facelifted, was also under study for Australia and indicated the C4 Aircross would be evaluated for this market too, should such a model eventuate.

For now, the new C5 X replaces a long lineage of traditional Citroen C5 sedan and wagon models with a high-riding five-door crossover that will rival SUV-inspired station wagons like the Subaru Outback.

The fourth member of Citroen Australia’s model range (joining the C3, C4 and C5 Aircross) will likely be the first produced in China, where the C5 X will be made for the European market at a Stellantis factory in Chengdu.

Local specs are yet to be announced but, like the new C4, the Citroen C5 X is expected to be sold here in one generously-specified flagship variant with all of the historic French car-maker’s latest safety and infotainment technologies.

These are likely to include 19-inch alloy wheels, Advanced Comfort seats, adaptive dampers, auto-braking, lane keeping and centring, adaptive cruise control and a 12.0-inch infotainment touch-screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which will be standard in all future Citroen Australia models after the C4.

Under the bonnet, like the closely related Peugeot 508, we expect the Citroen C5 X to be powered by a 165kW 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, which in the PHEV version is assisted by an 80kW electric motor powered by an 11.9kWh battery, providing 50km of EV range.