Citroën to launch electric car in France for under 25k

Citroën plans to launch an electric model with a base price of less than 25,000 euros on the European market in early 2024. The small electric car will then be offered in France and the UK, among other countries.

++ This article has been updated. Kindly continue reading below. ++

As the company’s brand boss, Thierry Koskas, told journalists, the new, affordable model will be the ë-C3. The vehicle has been offered in India since the beginning of the year and has already been introduced in South America.

The electric variant of the internal combustion Citroën C3 model for Europe will offer a range of 300 kilometres and will be assembled in Slovakia. The little electric car has a 29.2 kWh battery. The electric motor has an output of 42 kW and a torque of 143 Nm. Earlier reports indicate that the top speed is 107 km/h.

The presentation is planned for October 2023, with the market launch in early 2024. While it is still unclear exactly which other European countries the ë-C3 will be offered in, France and Great Britain have already been confirmed.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that he wants to make state subsidies for electric cars dependent on CO2 emissions in the production of the vehicles and their batteries. This would give electric cars produced in Europe an advantage, as less CO2 is released due to local production and shorter transport routes than, for example, cars built in the USA or China. According to Reuters, the concept will be officially presented in October – and will then apply to all models delivered in 2024.

That said, the ë-C3’s battery is still expected to come from China. According to Reuters, this raises the question of whether the small electric car will be subsidised at all – even if the final production takes place in Europe, the battery is still a crucial component.

With the ë-C3, the parent company Stellantis wants to stand up to the cheap models from China. BYD recently announced that it would bring five electric models to France. BYD is starting there with the trio Atto 3, Han and Tang electric cars. In addition, the Dolphin will be available from July and the Seal after the summer. BYD confirmed in mid-April that these two will also come to Europe.

Update 19 June 2023

In response to our article, Chris Rux, Head of Communications for Citroën, confirmed on Twitter that the EV will also be sold in Germany. We previously reported that it would be the same vehicle as the one sold in India and Latin America. But Rux stresses in another Tweet that the EV will be entirely developed and produced in Europe. “They share the same name”, he says on Twitter. Apart from that, it will be a new car.

Moreover, German n-tv reports that the EV will have a range of 420 kilometres, which is 120 kilometres more than what the version sold in India and Latein America has to offer. That in turn means, that the ë-C3 sold in Europe will also be fitted with a bigger battery.

reuters.com, autocar.co.uk, twitter.com, twitter.com, n-tv.de (all three update, last one in German)