Stellantis India today announced the commencement of 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 Africawill reach the milestone of 10,000 units, underscoring the company’s growing export momentum from the country.
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’sengineering capabilities and its expanding role as a key pillar in Stellantis’ global product development and manufacturing ecosystem.
The export achievement further underlines the export‑grade quality of vehicles manufactured at Stellantis’ Indian facilities, reaffirming the company’s commitment to delivering the same global standards to domestic customers.The shipment represents a key step in Stellantis India’s structured and phased export strategy, which complements its domestic business. 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 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’ globalnetwork. 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 upto 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.
Commenting on the milestone, Shailesh Hazela, CEO and Managing Director, Stellantis India, 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 resilientand 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.”
Guided by its focus on sustainability, localisation and innovation, Stellantis India’s export growth remains aligned with the national vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’. Exports from India continue to supportemployment generation, skill development and the long‑term growth of the country’s automotive manufacturing ecosystem.
