Citroen to sell low-priced B-segment EV in 2024

The European carmakers are getting increasingly disturbed by the wave of low-priced EV models from China which are steadily capturing market shares in major markets. For decades, the Europeans have had a certain cost base from which they have priced their products and while the Japanese challenged them, it was still possible to co-exist – and even when the Koreans started arriving.

However, with the Chinese brands, it’s a whole new challenge because the cars are not traditional vehicles with combustion engines. They are electric vehicles with new technologies that have been expensive to the Europeans but pushed down in China due to strong government efforts to go electric. As a result, the Chinese carmakers have an edge where EVs are concerned and now that they are starting to export, that edge is becoming very clear.

Citroen now has one new EV model which is priced significantly below the average small EV from European brands which costs around 30,000 euros (about RM152,500). The new e-C3 by the French carmaker has a base price of 23,000 euros (about RM117,000), and in France, buyers can get a government EV subsidy of 5,000 euros (RM25,400) as well.

Stellantis Group platform
The low price of the e-C3, which is a SUV sized almost similarly to the C3 city car, has been helped by the new Stellantis Group global ‘Smart Car’ platform, one of 4 STLA platforms which the group is developing which will be used for up to 2 million vehicles a year from its various brands.

“Our global Smart Car platform is extremely efficient and we are already leveraging its capabilities outside Europe through new region-specific Citroen models in markets like India and South America. It was the ideal starting point for the all-new European e-C3 line-up and even though it was engineered with all-electric capability from the start, it is flexible enough to house internal combustion engine powertrains as well as underpin larger and smaller vehicles, including SUVs,” said Laurence Hansen, Citroen Product and Strategy Director.

Designed and made in Europe
The e-C3 is the first B-segment EV to be offered in the region by a European manufacturer at such a price level that has been designed in Europe – at Citroen’s near Paris. It will be manufactured in Europe too, at the Stellantis Trnava manufacturing plant in Slovakia, with the first units arriving in showrooms in the second quarter of 2024.

New design language
Debuting for the first time on a production car is Citroen’s more distinctive new brand signature, with its large new oval logo featuring a new interpretation of the Citroen ‘chevrons’. It also uses new  design language, first previewed in the 2022 Oli concept, in which verticality contrasts with horizontal, technically sculpted surfaces. The technical interpretation of the chevrons has been inspired by architectural parametric designs.

A major element is the distinctive new design of front and rear lights which was first seen on the Oli concept, and which features a unique 3-level lighting signature with one vertical and two horizontal lenses that almost look like blades.

C-Zen lounge
As with Citroens past and present, innovations in interior design are evident. The e-C3 features the C-Zen lounge, a spacious, and well-equipped interior which reinvents the traditional dashboard. The driver and front passenger have a clean and uncluttered view forward as if looking through a wide arch, thanks to the large windscreen and horizontal fascia that graphically stretches across the entire vehicle.

The fascia is split into two distinct levels, with the technical elements above, and a cozy fabric-wrapped ‘Sofa Design style’ section below. A real departure for the upper level of the fascia is the lack of a traditional instrument cluster. Instead, there is a new Head Up Display (HUD) that reflects vehicle information onto a glossy black section between the top of the dash panel and the bottom of the windscreen.

This smart solution ensures there is no duplication of information as there would traditionally be between a HUD and instrument cluster, and ensures drivers can easily access all the key information they need without taking their eyes off the road.

At the centre of the fascia floats a 10.25-inch colour infotainment screen, while the fabric-wrapped and softly curved horizontal ‘Sofa Design style’ section below is designed to add warmth and visual character to the cockpit, while amplifying the feelings of comfort and serenity.

Up to 320 kms range
The drivetrain uses a 44 kWh lithium ferro phosphate battery pack powering an 83 kW (113 ps) motor. With an automatic transmission and a top speed around 135 km/h, the e-C3 is said to have a range of up to 320 kms.

In 2025, a 200-km range version of the EV will also be offered, and this will have a lower price 19,990 euros (RM101,500). So customers will have a choice where they can save on the initial cost if they feel that their motoring needs do not require long range.

Standard AC recharging, from 20% to 80%, takes around 4.2 hours using just 7 kW power supply, or 2.8 hours if 11kW is available. With a 100kW DC fast charger, the time to recharge 20% to 80% can be within 26 minutes.

Advanced Comfort Suspension
For the first time in the history of the C3 hatchback, Citroen is fitting its Advanced Comfort  Suspension as standard equipment. With its Progressive Hydraulic Cushions, there is a ‘magic carpet ride’ feeling of comfort on the road.

The system works in 2 stages. For lighter compression and decompression, the spring and shock absorber control vertical movements together, with no assistance required from the hydraulic stops. For major impacts, the spring and shock absorber work together with the hydraulic stops, to slow the movement gradually, and iron out jolts at the end of the range. Unlike a mechanical stop that absorbs energy and then returns part of it as a shock, the hydraulic stop absorbs and dissipates this energy.

Meeting changed customer expectations
“Offering affordable vehicles has always been a major part of Citroen’s DNA. But customer expectations for vehicles in the B-segment have changed, notably with the rise in popularity of SUVs and the increasing desire to drive electric in and around our cities, and it has become more challenging for European vehicle makers to meet those expectations. Uniquely, Citroën is daring to do exactly that with the all-new, all-electric e-C3 for European buyers: a fresh, sharp and comfortable B-hatch that is fully-equipped, specifically designed for and made in Europe, and extremely affordable,” said Citroen’s CEO, Thierry Koskas.

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