Citroen C3 hatch, C5 Aircross lose key safety tech, parking sensors amid semiconductor shortage
Citroen has become the latest car brand in Australia to cut driver assistance features to navigate the semiconductor shortage – but there won’t be a price cut to compensate.
Citroen has deleted front and rear parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring technology from two of its three models, in order to keep production lines moving as the global semiconductor shortage continues – but buyers won’t receive a price reduction as compensation.
Model Year 2022 (MY22) examples of the C3 city hatch and C5 Aircross mid-size SUV arriving from April onwards will lack blind-spot monitoring and both front and rear parking sensors, as Citroen Australia aims to “in order to help minimise the impact on vehicle availability” amid the semiconductor crisis.
Despite the removal of the features – which require sensors that add cost to a vehicle – Citroen Australia says pricing will remain unchanged, with the $1450 (C3) and $2350 (C5 Aircross) price rises applied in January 2022 due to an “increase in production costs” still in force.
“Despite our continuous effort to deliver our customers the best possible experience, and in order to help minimise the impact on vehicle availability, there has been an adjustment in the specification of the MY22 Citroen C3 and MY22 Citroen C5 Aircross. From Q2, 2022 arrival onwards, blind-spot monitoring and front and rear parking sensors have been removed,” a Citroen Australia spokesperson said in a statement shared with Drive.
“The global automotive industry faces an exceptional situation with the accumulation of the health crisis and a worldwide shortage of semiconductors. Our global teams are mobilized to drive our manufacturing activity in this unstable context, and we need to adapt accordingly.”
There’s no word on when the deleted driver assistance features will return to the C3 and C5 Aircross, with a manufacturer spokesperson telling Drive it “will continue to carefully assess the available specification and work closely with the factory to evaluate any potential specification adjustments.”
Only MY22 C3 and C5 Aircross models arriving in Australia from the second quarter of this year (beginning in April) onwards will be affected; MY22 examples in showrooms before the end of March are said to be unaffected.
When asked if the deleted features will correspond to price cuts, Citroen Australia said in a statement: “The pricing for the MY22 Citroen range remains as published in January. We cannot comment or speculate on future pricing, however we remain committed to customer satisfaction and ensuring we provide the best possible Citroen offering available to Australia.”
Citroen joins a long list of car makers which have decided to cut features to keep production lines moving, rather than slow production. Among mainstream brands, these include Ford, Mitsubishi, Skoda and Volkswagen, joining luxury brands including BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Polestar.
Citroen’s sister brand Peugeot – also imported to Australia by local company Inchcape – recently deleted life-saving side airbags from its mid-sized Expert van, believed to become the first car maker to remove passive safety features, rather than simply active ones (such as adaptive cruise control or blind-spot monitoring).
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