Citroen has announced the launch of a new small-class electric model, the e-C3, which will be available from 23,300 euros in the 320 km range version. From 2025, a variant with 200 km autonomy will also be on the market, with a price of 19,900 euros, which means that it would be the cheapest electric car of a European brand.
Citroen e-C3 Photo: Citroen
Several car companies will launch small, full-electric city cars starting at under 25,000 euros, before subsidies are applied. An even harder threshold to reach is below 20,000 euros, given that the battery costs several thousand euros. And this threshold will be reached by more brands between 2025 and 2030.
Dacia Spring, built in China, costs from about 20,800 euros, but it is a car under 3.8 meters long.
Citroen e-C3 (photo Citroen)
Citroen announced on Tuesday that a new electric model – the e-C3 – will reach customers in 2024, which the French say will be “the first affordable European electric car”.
The model – which will cost from 23,300 euros and will have an autonomy of 320 km – will be produced at the factory in Trnava (Slovakia) from the first months of 2024, and will reach customers in the spring of 2024. The battery will be a lithium-iron one – phosphate, 44 kWh.
From the beginning of 2025, the version with 200 km autonomy and starting price of 19,900 euros will be available. It will be a car for the city which, in the countries where there will still be subsidies, can be bought for less than 15,000 euros.
The new e-C3 is built on an architecture called Smart car that had been developed by the Stellantis group for India and Latin America, after the engineering division of the Tata company modified and modernized a platform developed 7-8 years ago by PSA and Dongfeng. The European model is much different from the Indian model to comply with the continent’s stricter safety norms.
The new Citroen C3 will also have thermal engine versions.
Asked if they were planning an even smaller model, a sort of successor to the electric C1, the company said no.
What Citroen says about the new e-C3
Citroën promises an even more affordable e-C3 with a range of 200 km, which will be available from 2025, starting at 19,990 euros. In Romania, prices will be available at the beginning of 2024.
Standard AC recharging from 20% to 80% takes about 4h10 if 7kW power is used or 2h50 if 11kW power is available. Access to home and public AC charging systems is easy with the standard Mode 3 cable, which is ideal for regular recharging at home using a wall box, as well as around town at public charging stations. The cable can be fed to a 7.4 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase wall box.
With its 83 kW (113 hp) engine and fully automatic transmission, acceleration from 0-100 km/h in around 11 seconds and an estimated top speed of 135 km/h, the new ë-C3 offers more power and performance than sufficient in daily traffic, especially in urban and suburban environments.
2023-10-17 12:32:00
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