Citroën wants to launch a compact BEV in India
Citroën will launch an all-electric compact car in India in 2023, according to Stellantis group CEO Carlos Tavares. The C3-based compact EV will be followed by all-electric MPVs and compact SUVs.
So far, Citroën only has the C5 Aircross on offer in India, and that in limited numbers. Stellantis is aiming to rectify this with the launch of the C3 hatchback in July, but added a new segment with the announcement of the compact EV, which the company hopes to release in the course of 2023. Additionally, Citroën wants to ramp up its dealer network in India to “cater to higher sales volumes these mass market models would bring”.
No details about the upcoming BEV were revealed, except that it will be a “sub-4-metre model based on the same platform as the C3”. Tavares did say that the price is also a thought behind the choice for the vehicle: “The task for EVs in India is twofold: to have clean energy to power them and to make them affordable, and that second part is in our hands.” A major issue will be battery sourcing, as well as setting up a local supply chain: “The cars we will make from Chennai will have over 90 per cent localisation. We would have liked to have batteries also from India, however, sourcing them locally is not possible as yet. As soon as this becomes a reality though, we will move towards sourcing batteries in India.”
“First of all, I want to say our electric vehicles under the smart-car programme are engineered in India and the first EV will arrive next year,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, adding: “We are going to bring not only compact EVs that fall under the Indian market segment of less than 4m, but we will also bring EVs to people movers with the next products we launch. So we will bring MPVs, CUVs and the likes.”
In terms of timing, a 2023 release would put Citroën ahead of the competition: Maruti’s first EV is to release in 2025, while Hyundai is looking at a market launch in 2 to 3 years. Mahindra also announced plans to gear up electric vehicle production in cooperation with Volkswagen. This would be part of Mahindra’s plan to launch 16 electric vehicles by 2027. Tata Motors is also still ramping up EV production, although they already have an electric SUV on the market.
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