The Nepal-bound Citroen C3 has won the 2023 World Urban Car Award. A jury of 100 distinguished international automotive journalists from 32 countries selected the winners by secret ballot based on their evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their ongoing professional work.

Vehicles eligible for the World Urban Car award must be produced in volumes of at least 5,000 units/year and must be “on-sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents within the period January 1, 2022, and March 30, 2023. Similarly, vehicles must be a maximum of 4.25 meters in overall length and be approved for operation on public roads.

The Citroen C3 is Citroen’s first mass-market product in India and is positioned as an SUV-inspired B-Segment hatchback. With a wheelbase of 2,540mm, the C3 promises to give one of the best legroom in this segment. Citroen claims that the C3 has the best in the class head, shoulder, and elbow room for passengers. Safety features include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, seatbelt reminders etc.

In terms of features, the Citroen C3 gets a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is compatible with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, manual A/C, a four-speaker sound system, steering-mounted controls, digital instrument cluster, and front/rear USB charging ports.

The Citroen C3 gets two petrol engine options: an 82 hp, 115 Nm, three-cylinder, naturally aspirated unit that is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and a 110 hp, 190 Nm, three-cylinder turbo-petrol unit that comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The turbo-petrol engine is the most powerful unit in its class. The option of a DCT is likely to be offered in the future.

The new Citroen C3 competes with the manual versions of the Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Tata Punch and Maruti Suzuki Ignis.