Citroen India, part of Europe’s auto major Stellantis Group, has formally unveiled its sub-4 metre all-electric car Citroen E-C3 with a range of about 320 km (at full charge) as the French car brand seeks to have an early-mover advantage in the Indian electric passenger vehicle market.

The electric version of the C3 comes just six months after the launch of the ICU model, built on the company’s fuel-agnostic C-cubed vehicle platform, which has been designed and engineered in India. C3 was the first model and E-C3 is the second model from this platform.

While the price for E-C3 is expected to be unveiled later, Citroen’s electric hatchback promises to be one of the most affordable electric cars to be sold in India. The pre-bookings for E-C3 will start on January 22 and the battery-powered vehicle will be available in Citroen showrooms from next month.

‘With the trend’

“We are moving with the market trend and there is definitely a shift towards quality and affordable electric cars in India. Also, we are not bringing models from other markets. It’s developed in India to make it affordable for the prospective buyers in India,” Roland Bouchara, CEO & MD, Stellantis India, told businessline after unveiling the vehicle to a group of journalists.

E-C3 has been designed to produce a torque of 143 Nm. It will accelerate 0-60 kmph in 6.8 seconds and will have a top speed of about 107 kmph. It comes with a battery pack of 29.2 kWh and DC charging that promises charging 10-80 per cent in 57 minutes. In-home charging on a 15 amp plug point, the charging time for 10-100 per cent will be 10.5 hours.

The company has tied up with Jio-BP, which is building EV charging ecosystem across the country, for charging services. As part of this, Jio-BP will install DC fast chargers across Citroen’s key dealerships and workshops over phases. These chargers will be available for electric cars of all brands, not just Citroen alone.

E-C3 will come in 13 exterior colour combinations — three new dual-tone options, six existing dual-tone options and four monotone colours. There will be three packs with 47 customisation options. There will be 3-year, 5-year and 7-year warranty periods for vehicles, electric motors and batteries for B2C buyers.

Long-term strategy

Bouchara said the company would initially be importing electric powertrains and battery cells from its Chinese supplier, but the company would be keen to look for local suppliers for the same. “Localisation is a key part of our long-term growth strategy in India. Our ICE models have more than 90 per cent localisation,” he added.

He said 2023 would be proved to be a strong year for the Citroen brand in India with the launch of E-C3, the introduction of the all-new product soon and the ramp-up of the dealer network from 30 now to 75 during this calendar year. The company has planned to launch one all-new model every year as part of its product strategy for the Indian market.

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