- The Citroen C3 Aircross has been transformed into a tactical SUV.
- One-off model features warship paint, off-road tires, and more.
- Submarine-inspired red lighting illuminates the entire cabin.
Citroen built its name on comfort, practicality, and a streak of weirdness, which makes a military rig about the last thing you’d expect from the brand. Yet here it is. The C3 Aircross Marine Nationale is a one-off with tactical upgrades, put together to mark the 400th anniversary of the French Navy.
The subcompact SUV wears a bespoke livery cut to resemble a navy uniform. The bodywork comes in a Storm Blue shade, set off by a Light Gray roof and red accents.
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Reworked bumpers with added cladding give it a tougher stance, helped along by black 17-inch wheels wrapped in grippy off-road tires. Around them sit a run of outdoor accessories: a roof rack sized to carry the gear of navy divers, wide fender extensions, and slatted fog lights modeled on the lanterns sailors once used to flash Morse code.
Heavy-duty straps, tow hooks shaped after the mooring cleats on a boat, and special decals across the doors and C-pillars round out the exterior changes.
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The nautical theme continues inside the cabin, where red lighting echoes the interior glow of a submarine hull, used to help a crew hold onto their sense of day and night while sealed below the surface. The seats wear custom red and white upholstery with anniversary badges. Citroen designers have also run tricolor blue-white-red trim across the dashboard.
Stellantis said nothing about performance or chassis changes, though the one-off clearly sits a good deal higher than a standard C3 Aircross. The production model is available with a turbo 1.2-liter engine in regular and mild-hybrid forms, as well as a fully electric version with a single e-motor.
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While the Citroen C3 Aircross Marine Nationale is a design study not destined for production, it’s easy to imagine the company offering an adventurous trim of the SUV down the line, or giving owners the option to kit theirs out with off-road-inspired accessories. The same move is already expected from the Opel Frontera twin and the upcoming Fiat Grizzly duo.
