The cheapest electric car in the Czech Republic, as in many other European markets, is the Dacia Spring. The Romanian mini was originally created for developing markets, which is quite noticeable in many details. In addition, he will face tough competition from next year. Citroën has made the fourth generation C3 primarily an electric car, and one that promises a price of less than half a million.
“The new ë-C3 is the first B-segment electric model to be offered in the region and at this price level by a European automaker and designed in Europe,” Citroën states, among other things, in a press release for the four-meter five-door hatchback. He knows very well what he is doing. Indirectly, it refers to the French changes in subsidies, which will award the full bonus only to electric cars manufactured in Europe. And the novelty is also supposed to be one of the trump cards of Macron’s planned social leasing for low-income groups of the population. In both cases, the sharp Dacia Spring and some super-cheap Chinese models.
Citroën is clearly targeting them aggressively with its new product. The price proves it above all. Once the ë-C3 goes on sale in the second half of next year, it will cost from 23,300 euros, about 575 thousand crowns. And in 2025, the offer will be supplemented by a basic version with a price from 19,990 euros, i.e. about 493 thousand crowns. At current prices, such a version would undercut even the cheapest Dacia Spring. In addition, these are prices without bonuses that countries such as Germany and France provide for the purchase of an electric car.
The version that will go on sale next year will have a lithium-iron-phosphate battery with a capacity of 44 kWh, which appears for the first time in any of Stellantis’ electric cars – it is cheaper than the more common NMC battery. The range on one charge should be 320 kilometers, while charging should be possible with direct current of up to 100 kW. Even the ë-C3 does not deviate from the standards for small electric cars of Stellantis.
Charging with alternating current with a maximum power of 11 kW will also be available, with which the car manufacturer states that the battery will go from 20 to 80 percent capacity in two hours and fifty minutes. The electric motor in the guts has 83 kW, and acceleration from rest to 100 km/h in about eleven seconds is enough for a maximum speed of 135 km/h. Data on the cheaper version of the double arrow has not been published, except for the range, which will be 200 kilometers. The car will definitely get a smaller battery.
It’s easy to see that Citroën’s low price didn’t just happen. The basis is not the CMP platform like the Peugeot 208, but a cheaper version derived from it, originally intended for developing markets. C3 for the Indian or Latin American markets received it, for example. However, the European specification saw many improvements, including significant structural changes.
The low price will also be redeemed by poorer equipment. Although the photos show a car with a 10.25-inch central touch screen, the model with a “price from” will only get a smartphone holder, in which a special application can be installed to control the radio and other elements. Some cheaper Dacias have it similarly. It will be started classically with a key, the use of hard plastics can also be expected.
The interior is overall very simple and quite different from the current generation. Classic alarm clocks are completely absent, replaced by a narrow display that displays the most important operating information, located further from the steering wheel. It has a new “spiky” shape, so from afar it resembles the i-cockpit from Peugeot. At four meters long, the trunk has a basic volume of 310 liters, which is ten liters more than before.
The exterior design was significantly inspired by the Oli concept, the rounded lines of the current design are thus replaced by edges. The tall structure of the body towards the SUV is evident, which is also confirmed by the ground clearance of 163 millimeters. The new C3 also received an updated double arrow logo, and will always have LED front lights. However, the silver-painted centers of the bumpers are already reserved for the higher equipment version.
The ë-C3, which will continue to be produced in Trnava, Slovakia, will go on sale in the second half of next year. The fourth generation will not only offer an electric drive, there will also be a turbocharged three-cylinder 1200 with a manual or dual-clutch automatic transmission, he says French magazine L’Argus.
2023-10-17 14:16:18
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