Stellantis, the world’s third largest car manufacturer, on Tuesday presented the new Citroen e-C3, a low-cost electric vehicle, with a starting price of 23,300 euros, intended to compete with the affordable electric models of Chinese car companies, reports Reuters.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are much more expensive than those powered by internal combustion engines, and European carmakers want to launch cheaper models, encouraged by government subsidies.
The Citroen e-C3 will be assembled in Slovakia and will be launched in the second quarter of 2024. The price does not include state subsidies of up to 5,000 euros.
“This is the most important launch for the Citroen brand in the last ten years. This is a new way to break market conventions. A European electric car for 23,000 euros? There isn’t one,” Citroen CEO Thierry Koskas told reporters.
Electric city cars in Europe cost on average around 30,000 euros. The Citroen e-C3 will compete with the Dacia Spring, which is assembled in China.
To keep the price down, Stellantis is reusing the “Smart Car” platform used in India, which differs from the four EV platforms the company is developing.
Autonomy is 320 km, using LFP battery technology imported from China.
Europe is facing an influx of low-cost electric vehicles from China, so Citroen has a long-term strategy. A cheaper C3 electric model will follow in early 2025, with a starting price of 20,000 euros and a range of 200 km, Koskas announced.
On the city car market in Europe, the Citroen C3 had a share of 11% last year. Since the launch of the model in 2002, more than 5.6 million units have been sold.
Chinese brands are taking advantage of the need for electric models at reasonable prices in Europe, as they are perceived as a threat to European car manufacturers.
So far, Chinese companies have focused on larger electric models, but they are also expected to bring smaller and cheaper cars to Europe as they try to expand their presence on the continent.
2023-10-17 15:53:20
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