After a relatively lacklustre entry into the Indian market, Citroen India recently announced it was all set to reveal its EV sometime today, September 29. While Citroen has not revealed what car it is, reports suggest that the upcoming EV is its fully-electric version of the C3.
According to media reports, the C3 Electric was also recently spied testing on Indian roads, while a parked test mule was also spotted, connected to a charger.
The C3 is the first of the three models to be developed under the India-designed C-Cubed programme. The second in this line will be the country’s first low-cost EV.
In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, Stellantis India CEO Roland Bouchara had said that he aims to establish Citreon as a leader in the low-cost EV space.
When asked why the company categorises the C3 as a hatchback even when the compact SUV segment has far more consumer interest in the country, Citroen India’s Brand Head Saurabh Vatsa told Moneycontrol that "it’s going to be driven purely by the product. The C3’s design, the feedback we’ve received from our customers suggests. But it’s definitely differentiated by its SUV stance and that’s exactly what we’ve communicated. It’s a sub-4-metre hatch category. No pretence, it’s a sub-4-metre hatchback with strong SUV styling."
As per reports, Citroen is not expected to introduce any major design changes for the all-electric C3 over the ICE version of the car. The charging port will be placed on the front right fender.
In terms of specifications, the electric vehicle by Citreon India is expected to be offered with a single electric motor, with a battery pack providing a range of around 300 km on a single full charge. Citroen could add in some extra features over the regular C3; however, it is yet to be confirmed, reported The Times of India.
The report further added that features like a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a height-adjustable driver's seat, four speakers, a digital instrument cluster, and steering-mounted audio controls are all expected to be carried over.
As regards the price of the new EV from Citroen, expectations are that the Citroen C3 EV will have similar pricing as the recently launched Tiago EV (in the vicinity of Rs 10-11 lakh), as per reports.
However, when asked about how Citroen intends to deal with the issue of battery costs and battery localisation, Bouchara had told Moneycontrol that a strong technical and R&D set-up exists for Stellantis. "Therefore, without delving into the pricing of the vehicle, even with a compact EV, we are quite confident of bringing in a competitively-priced EV. Do compact EVs exist in the market? No. But we’re ready to bring it in by 2023," Bouchara added.
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