Electric Citroen C3 gets a charging socket at its front right fender – New launch teaser is out
Even though the French car maker has been around for more than a 100 years, it is still a new brand in India. Citroen made its India debut with the C5 Aircross and its first mainstream car was the C3 hatchback. Considering the relative newness of Citroen C3, it has been doing very well in India.
With more dealerships, Citroen can push its sales envelope. For example, there are only two La Maison Citroen dealerships in Karnataka state and both of them are in Bengaluru alone. That said, Citroen is expanding its portfolio to incorporate a 7-seater version of C3 and even an electric version of C3.
Citroen C3 Electric New Teaser
Citroen is getting ready to launch C3 electric, which as per their latest teaser will be christened eC3. Launch could take place at the Auto Expo 2023. eC3 electric falls into Citroen’s plan to bring in three new models in India as part of its C-Cubed program. Production will take place at CK Birla facility in Thiruvallur near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Like conventional C3 and upcoming C3 Plus, C3 electric will also be based on a Common Modular Platform (CMP) with high localisation. Just within 6 months of launch of its ICE counterpart, Citroen C3 is going fully electric, which is commendable. Since affordability is the key, Citroen is likely to keep interiors, body and mechanicals similar to C3 hatchback.
Citroen eC3 is expected to have a 30.2 kWh battery pack which is larger than the 24 kWh battery pack that Tiago EV top variants are packing. It will deliver peak power of 86 bhp (63 kW) and 143 Nm of torque. Both these figures are higher than its immediate rival, Tiago EV, which only makes 74 bhp and 114 Nm.
Specs & Features
It is likely that LFP cells will form a battery pack of electric Citroen C3. These batteries are reportedly sourced from Chinese supplier Svolt. We can expect a 3.3 kW AC charger built-in with additional fast DC charging capability with a CCS2 socket. With a battery pack accounting for 30.2 kWh, one can expect a range close to 300 km in real world.
Desirable features such as alloy wheels, IRVM dimmer, electric ORVM adjustment, tachometer, auto climate control, reversing camera and rear wiper and defogger will make it to electric Citroen C3 that is not currently offered with top-spec variant of its ICE counterpart.
Citroen eC3 electric car test mule donning these features is under testing, though. When launched, it will rival Tata Tiago EV and upcoming MG Air EV. Prices might hover between Rs. 10 lakh to 12 lakh mark (ex-sh).
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
