The 29.2 kWh battery pack on Citroen eC3 is coupled with a electric motor developing 56 bhp and 143 Nm, enough to eek out 320 km of range
After Citroen’s innings began in the entry segment with C3 hatchback, the French brand is now expanding its lineup to include an EV as well. This is Citroen’s maiden EV in India and the first French EV to hit our shores. Specs were out long ago and bookings had commenced too. Now, prices have been revealed.
The affordable EV space is still quite young and Tata Motors has the most prominence. With Tiago EV, Tigor EV and Xpres-T, Tata Motors seems to have captivated both PV and CV segments. Citroen eC3 has to offer quite a lot to carve a piece of this pie.
Citroen eC3 Prices
Citroen eC3 has been launched with a price tag starting from Rs. 11.5 lakh (ex-sh) for base Live trim. Top-spec Feel trims with dual tone colour and Vibe Pack cost Rs. 12.43 lakh. When compared to its ICE counterpart, C3 hatchback, eC3 costs Rs. 5.52 lakh more with base variants and Rs. 5.23 lakh more with top-spec variants.
Specs & features are almost identical with its ICE counterpart. We’re talking about the same design along with dimensions. This helps Citroen to reduce development costs and help price its products aggressively. But is it aggressive enough? Let’s take a look.
Citroen C3 Electric Prices vs Tiago EV
It primarily rivals Tata Tiago EV starting from Rs. 8.69 lakh (ex-sh) for 19.2 kWh battery pack variants, Rs. 10.19 lakh (ex-sh) for 24 kWh variants with 3.3 kW AC charger and Rs. 11.49 lakh (ex-sh) for 24 kWh battery pack variants with 7.2 kW AC charger. Tiago EV has four trim levels to choose from as opposed to two with eC3.
Powertrain options are two along with two charger options. In total, Tiago EV spawns 7 variants. Whereas eC3 gets just one powertrain and two trim levels with cosmetic choices like dual tone and Vibe Pack. Right off the bat, it is immediately noticeable that Tiago EV comes with more options to choose from. Tiago EV’s top-spec trim XZ+ Tech LUX with 24 kWh battery and 7.2 kW charger is just Rs. 49,000 more than Citroen eC3’s base variant.
Specs & Features
It is safe to say that Tata has got the pricing right. Does Citroen eC3 offer more style and substance? Design is objective and hence depends on the buyer. But spec-wise, Citroen seems to be offering more. For starters, eC3 is 212mm longer, 56mm wider, and 50mm taller. It has a 140mm longer wheelbase, 4mm more ground clearance and a 75L larger boot than the Tiago EV.
It has wider 195-section tyres wrapped to 15” wheels as opposed to 175-section with 14” wheels on Tiago EV. Powertrain-wise, eC3 offers 5.2 kWh more battery capacity and 29 Nm more torque than Tiago EV’s larger 24 kWh offering. Tiago EV hits back by making 18 bhp more and sprinting 1.1s quicker to 60 km/h. Tiago EV can hit 120 km/h as opposed to 107 km/h of eC3.
Range tips slightly towards eC3’s favour with just a 5 km difference over Tiago EV’s 315 km. Citroen eC3 offers a larger 10.25” touchscreen as opposed to 7” unit on Tiago EV and also gets wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay system. There is decent competition between the two. It is yet to be seen how the market responds to this duo.
Saurabh Vatsa, Brand Head, Citroen India, remarked, “We are excited to launch the New Citroen eC3 All-Electric for the young and progressive customers who will enjoy the CLEVER, COMFORT & COOL product propositions. The vehicle was developed keeping in mind the Indian audience and their unique needs and preferences.
eC3 delivers a certified driving range of 320 km per charge (MIDC cycle), 100% DC fast charging capability, and a plethora of intuitive technology-driven features. With the famed Citroen Advanced Comfort on board combined with an efficient e-powertrain, we are certain that the New Citroen eC3 All-Electric will meet the expectations of both private customers’ and fleet operators.”
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
