CARS I PEOPLE I SCOOPS I MOTORSPORT I ANALYSIS – THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR
AT THIS PRICE, WHY NOT GO ELECTRIC?
The new e-C3 aims to lure buyers into the electric future with the classic Citroën combination of comfort and an irresistibly low price.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
‘Forget everything you know about electric cars,’ says Citroën’s new head of marketing, Federico Goyret, as he stands on stage with CEO Thierry Koskas. And yet, as the covers come off the new ë-C3, it all looks rather conventional. It’s a small, boxy crossover with a modern if rather unassuming design, and only loose links to the expectation-raising Oli concept that preceded it. Nothing much in the way of real interest so far.
But the room then is jolted awake when the price is announced. Nicolas Monnot, Citroën’s director of global pricing, smiles widely as he says: ‘I’m very happy to announce today that the launch price of the new ë-C3 when it launches next year will be €23,300.’
For the UK market, that equates to a starting price under £23,000 – which would make the ë-C3 one of the most affordable electric cars in the country when it arrives with right-hand drive in the summer of 2024. Now we’re interested.
THE C3 CAN BE PRODUCED 25 PER CENT FASTER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE, HELPING CUT COSTS
‘The first thing we do when we want to work on a new generation of car is look at society – and that was key in the brief of this new C3,’ says Citroën’s head of product, Laurence Hansen. ‘Our forecasts said that, unfortunately, the world would be more chaotic with this generation – inflation, recession in some countries, household incomes being affected. At the same time, I would say that our customers are in the middle of transitioning to electric – and we are being pushed by the European Commission to go electric by a certain point in time, too.’
Naturally, then, cost-saving has been very high on the list of priorities. And because it’s a Citroën, it also needs to be comfortable and cleverly packaged. In spirit, it should be able to join in a long list of innovative and affordable small Citroëns dating back at least as far as the 2CV.
It all starts with what lies beneath: the Stellantis group’s ‘Smart Car’ platform, separate from the new STLA architectures. It’s essentially a heavily modified version of the hardware that started life in the CC21 version of the C3, a different car to the familiar European C3. Produced in India and Brazil, it’s been sold in India and much of South America. The version used in the new e-C3 will, however, have a much sturdier crash structure to clear European safety standards.
At the unveiling of the e-C3, CEO Koskas teased the return of the C3 Aircross
