The Stellantis-owned French automotive giant Citroen has been eager to increase its market share in India and to achieve this feat it recently launched its entry-level model, the C3 hatchback. But the brand is not going to stop there and announced that it will soon be unveiling its newest and first electric offering in the country the electric iteration of the C3 hatchback. Until recently, the name of this forthcoming EV was not revealed but the company has now shared a teaser on its social media channels which brings forward the name of this EV as the eC3.
According to Stellantis’ worldwide CEO Carlos Tavares, just a few weeks ago he revealed that the all-electric eC3 “will be released early next year,”. It is believed that most likely we will see this EV in January immediately following Auto Expo 2023. As of yet, no official announcements have been made regarding the price of this upcoming EV but it is anticipated that it will cost somewhere in the range of Rs 10-12 lakh. Also once launched it could be slotted between the Tata EV siblings of Tiago EV and Nex0n EV.
In terms of the electric powertrain of the Citroen eC3 it could come equipped with a 30.2 kWh battery that would power a single electric motor. Reportedly it will produce around 84 BHP and 143 Nm of torque. The eC3’s battery pack is intended to provide a slightly longer range than the Tiago EV, which can go over 315 kilometers on a single charge.
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A few weeks ago the all-electric Citroen eC3 was also spotted testing on Indian roads, with only the front wing shrouded in camouflage. It was thought that the Citroen eC3 EV’s charging outlet will be located on the front fender. Aside from this tiny alteration, the Citroen C3 EV will most likely retain the style and posture of the petrol C3, including features like as halogen headlights with split daytime running LEDs, color-coded external trim, and high ground clearance.
In other Citroen news, Carlos Tavares recently spoke to the media during an event in Chennai earlier in November. When asked about the company’s ambitions for electric vehicles in India he stated that Stellantis is hard at work developing a price system that would make EVs inexpensive, as well as other quality criteria, and that depending on how quickly the firm can reach those goals, the company may also begin exporting such EVs from India. Meanwhile Tavares commented on the challenges of keeping prices low, saying, “How to make EVs affordable to the middle class is the biggest challenge,” He added, “Only affordability can create scale and only then can it have a significant impact on the environment.”
Furthermore while commenting on the export side of things for this forthcoming model, he said, “There is a big opportunity for India to be able to sell EV compact cars at an affordable price protecting the profitability. Because the country has such a cost-competitive supplier base, so it [exports to Europe] is possible.” He added “If within the next 12 months, we achieve the quality numbers and the cost numbers, then we will be able to export. One of the obvious targets is Southeast Asia,”.
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