According to a recent report that emerged on the internet, Group PSA’s Citroen will reveal the brand’s first electric vehicle for the domestic market in December 2022. The French auto major confirmed a while ago that it is bringing its maiden EV for India in 2023 and if the report turns out to be true, it will be an electrified hatchback based on the C3 compact hatch.
It will go on sale by April 2023 and thus it will become the company’s third offering following the C5 Aircross and C3. Citroen debuted in India with the C5 Aircross last year while the C3 was introduced just under a couple of weeks ago with an aggressive starting price of Rs. 5.71 lakh (ex-showroom). The brand is also expanding its footprint across the country currently.
The Citroen C3-based electric hatchback will sit on the modular CMP platform and is already heavily localised to carry competitive pricing on the ICE model. The report further noted that the C3 EV will likely be equipped with a single electric motor configuration and multiple battery options to adhere to a wider range of customers.
It is expected to be priced around Rs. 13 lakh and will compete against the well-received Tata Tigor EV and the upcoming MG small electric vehicle. While the official specifications are not known yet, the Citroen C3-based EV will likely be capable of delivering a driving range of around 300-350 km on a single charge and fast charging facility will also be provided.
The Opel Corsa-e retailed in Europe is underpinned by the CMP architecture and it uses a 50 kWh battery pack enabling 362 km range while the upcoming Jeep compact electric SUV will also sit on the same platform. The e-hatchback could gain more premium features that are not available in the regular C3 such as a wireless charger, cruise control and auto AC.
Citroen is also developing a CUV, an MPV and an SUV for launch in the near future in India. The brand will more likely source the battery pack and other critical components initially from abroad.