Citroen has released a new teaser image of its upcoming first all-electric car for the Indian market. Called the Citroen eC3, the electric hatchback will hit roads by March 2023. Its media drive will begin in the third week of January. It will be a mass-market, entry-level electric offering from the French automaker that will take directly on the Tata Tiago EV. The model is expected to cost around Rs 10 lakh – Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom). Its arch rival – Tiago EV has been offered within the price range of Rs 8.49 lakh – Rs 11.79 lakh (all, ex-showroom).
Powertrain setup of the Citroen eC3 will include a 30.2kWh battery pack and an electric motor mounted on the front axle. The e-motor produces a peak power of 86bhp and 143Nm of torque. The carmaker will source battery pack from the Chinese electromobility firm – Svolt. The company will provide a 3.3kW onboard AC charger with the electric C3. It will also support CCS2 fast charging. The electric hatchback is likely to promise a range of around 350km on a single charge.
Tata’s Tiago EV offers a claimed MIDC range of 250km with the 19.2kWh battery and 315km with the larger 24kWh battery pack. The model features Tata’s Ziptron high-voltage architecture that consists of a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. Its smaller battery variant produces a peak power of 74bhp with 114Nm and the bigger battery version makes 61bhp with 110Nm. It can do 0 to 60kmph in 5.7 seconds (19.2kWh) and 6.2 seconds (24kWh).
Visually, the electric Citroen C3 will look similar to its ICE version. Though, it will feature a new charging port placed on the front fender and misses out on a tailpipe. Inside, it might have a new drive controller (instead of manual gear lever) and updated centre console.
