Citroen’s C5 Aircross concept reveals a family-focused all-electric SUV

Citroen has taken the wraps off its next generation C5 Aircross family SUV at the Paris Motor Show.

The new model uses the latest STLA Medium platform from parent company Stellantis, meaning it will be available as an all-electric model for the first time. A combustion and hybrid engine model will be also be available.

Like Citroen’s other recently revived models – the C3 Aircross and the Citroen C4, which was also updated for the Paris Show – it takes its design inspiration from the Citroen Oli concept first seen two years ago at the last Paris Motor Show.

Citroen refers to the design as a ‘dense, muscular organic block, sculpted for aerodynamics’. The nose of the car looks upright and bluff, as it was on the Citroen Oli concept, and it’s dominated by the oversized, reworked Citroen chevrons that now sit in an oval badge.

Citroen’s designers say they’ve used clever aerodynamic tricks to overcome the efficiency issues that big, square SUVs normally have. The company claims the new C5 Aircross would cover around 19 miles more than the current C5 Aircross would if that was electric, all due to aerodynamic improvements.

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The nose of the car drops away from a low bonnet, despite the squared-off looks, while the roof has been kept as low as possible and the rear overhangs extended, all to improve aerodynamics. Particular attention has been paid to the rear with recessed panels to guide airflow and the cabin curving towards the back, which also improves efficiency.

Innovative Citroen ‘light wings’ stand proud at the back but feature a hollowed section that protrude from the car, generating aerodynamic support, again to boost efficiency.

Using the Stellantis family’s STLA Medium platform also gives the new C5 Aircross a tech advantage with new advanced driver aids and infotainment systems, many already seen on Peugeot’s 3008 and 5008 models using the same architecture.

Although the Citreon C5 Aircross is a car aimed at family use, the concept didn’t reveal anything about the production car’s interior.

We’d expect it to be more spacious than the outgoing C5 Aircross, thanks in part to the new flat platform and extended length, but Citroen did say that the cabin would be designed as ‘a wellness area in the spirit of a lounge, where the five occupants will be able to relax and travel in complete serenity’.

The production version of the Citreon C5 Aircross is expected to be seen some time next year, with the car going on sale towards the end of the year or early in 2026.