Stellantis India has commenced exports of the Citroën Basalt, with the first shipment flagged off from its Chennai manufacturing facility to South Africa. With this shipment, cumulative exports of Citroën vehicles from India to South Africa will reach the milestone of 10,000 units, said a release.
This milestone highlights the success of Stellantis’ Smart Car platform, conceived, developed and industrialised in India by Indian R&D teams for both domestic and global markets. It reinforces the strength of India’s engineering capabilities and its expanding role as a key pillar in Stellantis’ global product development and manufacturing ecosystem.
With increasing volumes and entry into new international markets, Stellantis India continues to strengthen its export footprint, reflecting growing global confidence in India’s manufacturing quality, process discipline and cost competitiveness, the release said.
The inclusion of the Citroën Basalt in Stellantis’ export programme marks a significant milestone for the brand in India, reinforcing the country’s role as a strategic manufacturing and export hub within Stellantis’ global network.
India’s first mainstream SUV coupé, developed with a strong focus on emerging markets, the Citroën Basalt is now set to go global, representing the next phase of Citroën’s international growth from India.
Built on a highly localised platform of up to 95 percent, the model has been engineered to meet both domestic and global customer expectations, underscoring Stellantis’ commitment to developing scalable, relevant and export-ready products from India, the release said.
Shailesh Hazela, CEO and Managing Director, Stellantis India, in the release said, “Commencing Citroën Basalt exports to South Africa strengthens Stellantis India’s position as a competitive manufacturing, quality-driven and sourcing base. As our export volumes grow, our focus remains on building a resilient and integrated ecosystem, from vehicles to components, delivered through a consistent and high-quality supply cadence. This milestone reinforces India’s expanding contribution to our global operations.”