Citroen released the first official teaser for the upcoming European-market e-C3, confirming it will be inspired by the Oli concept. The fully electric supermini will come with a starting price below € 25,000 (US$ 27,500), matching the targeted prices of the upcoming VW ID.2 and Renault 5 rivals. The dark teaser was hidden inside Stellantis’ financial results presentation for the first half of 2023, all but confirming our expectations. The LED lighting signature of the new e-C3 is reminiscent of the Oli from 2022. On the other hand, its silhouette, mirrors, and generous ground clearance look very similar to the New C3 for India and South America.
The new model will likely share the
crossover stance of the New C3 albeit with more modern styling features at the
front and rear ends – just like our speculative rendering from last year. Note
that the new EU-spec e-C3 will be the first production model to bear Citroen’s
redesigned emblem, which appears to be illuminated. The French supermini is expected
to ride on the CMP architecture. Later on, the Citroen e-C3 will likely be
joined by an ICE-powered C3 featuring Stellantis’ 1.2-liter mild-hybrid
powertrain. As for the electric powertrain, the e-C3 is rumored to be available
with a single electric motor producing either 80 hp or 107 hp. Energy will be sourced from 40 kWh or 50 kWh batteries from
Chinese company Svolt, offering a claimed range of over 300 km.
With an advertised price below € 25k
(US$ 27,5k), the e-C3 will be Citroen’s cheapest EV if we exclude the Ami heavy
quadricycle. More importantly, it will be in the same price bracket as the
similarly-sized Renault 5 and VW ID.2 set to launch in 2024 and 2025
respectively, waging a war between electric superminis. As reported by L’Argus,
Stellantis CEO, Carlos Tavares, has confirmed that the Citroen e-C3 will be
available to lease with a monthly fee of € 100 (US$ 110) in France, after an
agreement with the local government. Note that the Peugeot e-208 can be leased
for as low as € 145 per month in France using Stellantis’ “Electric As You Go”
program.
The official debut of the 2024 Citroen
e-C3 is expected in October 2023, with its European market launch to follow in
the first quarter of 2024.
