Citroen e-C3 is expected to be priced around Rs. 10-12 lakh upon launch in January 2023; to likely use a 40 kWh battery pack
Citroen’s first electric vehicle for India will be launched early next year. As confirmed by Carlos Tavares, global CEO of Stellantis, in Chennai, the official launch date of the electrified C3 will be revealed in January 2023. Dubbed the e-C3, the compact electric hatchback will be priced at around Rs. 10 lakh and is expected to have a battery pack of 40 kWh capacity.
It comes on the back of Tata Motors bringing in its entry-level Tiago EV recently but no other automaker has an affordable EV in its portfolio yet and Citroen could take advantage of it. It will be the French manufacturer’s third passenger vehicle for India and the e-C3’s ICE sibling went on sale locally only in July 2022.
The brand is currently looking at launching the electric hatchback with high local content and the hunt for a domestic battery supplier is on but it has not found one yet. The Citroen e-C3 is expected to have a high driving range on a single charge considering that the expected size of the battery pack will be close to that of the best-selling Nexon EV.
However, the mere size of the battery pack would not just determine the range capabilities of an electric vehicle. Barring the battery pack and the associated battery internals, the Citroen e-C3 will share everything with its petrol-engined sibling. As we showed you in a spy picture a few months ago, the zero-emission C3 will have its charging port located on the front fender.
The cabin will be almost identical to the IC-engined C3 except for the replacement of the traditional gear lever with the drive controller. Citroen appears to have high hopes for the e-C3 and it could garner high volume sales by appealing to the masses.
It will be quoted with an aggressive price range – Rs. 10-12 lakh expected. The Citroen e-C3 will also be exported to international markets – mainly emerging markets. With the sales numbers of the petrol-powered C3 only fairly decent, the EV could change the landscape for the company in India when positioned rightly.