Citroen To Debut In EV Segment With E-C3 In Jan 2023

Citroen's first electric vehicle for India, the e-C3, debuts just six months after the C3 with a petrol engine.An all-electric Citroen C3 "will be launched early next year," according to Stellantis' global CEO Carlos Tavares. Although the precise date has not been revealed, it is most likely to fall in January immediately following Auto Expo 2023.

The cost of the electric C3 is a key area of focus for Citroen. The biggest difficulty, according to Tavares, is how to make EVs affordable for the middle class, he stated on Wednesday in Chennai during a media conference.

The e-C3 will therefore feature a moderately sized battery with a capacity of 30.2kWh and sources tell us it will use LFP cells from Chinese company Svolt in order to keep costs down. The vehicle will be equipped with a CCS2 fast charger and a 3.3kW onboard AC charger. However, Citroen is also eager to localise this.

The Citroen eC3's single electric motor is expected to provide 63kW (86hp) and 143Nm, which is again a quite minimal amount of power. In comparison, the EV is probably heavier and the 1.2 Turbo petrol Citroen C3 delivers 110hp and 190Nm. However, the Tata Tiago EV only generates 74 horsepower and 114 Nm.

All other parts and components, which are extensively localised, will be shared between the petrol and electric versions of the C3 in order to reduce costs. The e-body, C3's interior, and mechanicals are all the same, therefore the only distinguishing feature is the charging port, which is positioned on the front fender. 

Citroen is confident that it can price the e-C3 affordably. Although the price and positioning have not been disclosed, it is reasonable to assume that it will be priced between the Tata Tigor EV and the Nexon EV, which is very aggressive by multinational standards, or in the range of Rs 10 lakh to 12 lakh.