The French automaker is all set to enter into the Indian electric car segment with the launch of new Citroen EV. Carlos Tavares, Chief Executive Officer of Stellantis, has confirmed that the C3 electric hatchback will hit showrooms in early 2023. The carmaker’s Hosur-based plant in Tamil Nadu will serve as a production hub for the EV. The new Citroen electric car will be made available at “an affordable price for an EV that the middle class can buy”. Here, it will take directly on the newly-launched Tata Tiago EV.
While prices of the Citroen C3 EV will be revealed in coming months, we expect it to cost around Rs 10 lakh – Rs 12 lakh. Its arch rival – Tiago EV comes in four trims (XE, XT, XZ+ and XZ+ Tech Lux), priced from Rs 8.49 lakh – Rs 11.79 lakh (all, ex-showroom). Tata’s small electric car can be had with either a 24kWh battery or a 19.2kWh battery pack paired to a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor (74bhp/114N). While the former delivers a claimed MIDC range of 324km, the latter offers 315km on a single charge.
The new Citroen electric car is likely to share its powertrain with the global-spec Peugeot e-208. That means, it could be made available with a 50kWH battery pack and an electric motor delivering power worth 136PS and 260Nm of torque. The setup provides an electric range of over 350km (WLTP claimed). The C3 EV might also be offered with a smaller battery pack option, promising a range of around 300km.
Similar to its ICE-powered version, the new Citroen C3 EV will underpin the eCMP platform. Most of its features will be borrowed from its petrol sibling including a 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with the smartphone connectivity, a digital instrument cluster, front power windows with one-touch down for driver, AC unit, steering mounted control, tilt adjustable steering, speed sensitive auto door lock, door ajar warning and dual airbags.
