Citroen releases a new affordable electric SUV with a sales volume of 180000 yuan, benchmarking against Chinese electric vehicles

On October 18th, Citroen announced its new electric SUV, called the e-C3, on Tuesday in Merton, France, with a starting price of 23300 euros (approximately $24500/18000 yuan), aiming to compete with Chinese automakers in the affordable electric vehicle market.Image source: Stellantis official websiteCitroen is affiliated with Stellantis, the world's fourth largest automotive group

On October 18th, Citroen announced its new electric SUV, called the e-C3, on Tuesday in Merton, France, with a starting price of 23300 euros (approximately $24500/18000 yuan), aiming to compete with Chinese automakers in the affordable electric vehicle market.

Image source: Stellantis official website

Citroen is affiliated with Stellantis, the world's fourth largest automotive group. This electric car will be assembled in Slovakia and will be launched in the second quarter of 2024. Compared to the current C3 compact car, it has the same size but a more square appearance, slightly higher.

It is understood that this price does not include government subsidies of up to 5000 euros.

Thierry Koskas, General Manager of Citroen, said, "This is the most important release for the Citroen brand in at least 10 years. This is a new way to break market norms. A European electric car priced at 23000 euros? This is unique

The average price of affordable electric vehicles in Europe is currently around 30000 euros.

In order to reduce costs, Stellantis is reusing its simplified "SmartCar" platform used in India, which is different from the four electric vehicle platforms being developed by the group.

The electric vehicle has a range of only 320 kilometers and uses lithium iron phosphate battery technology from China.

The basic configuration of the car complies with the French government's monthly "social rental" affordable electric vehicle plan of 100 euros. Although there is no entertainment information screen, it can still be connected to a mobile phone.

Koskas stated that the company does not want to turn the new C3 into a "technical Christmas tree", but has not saved on important aspects.

He emphasized that "it has reached the highest level of comfort and electrical performance." For example, this electric car uses the soft suspension system typically provided by Citroen for larger models.

Given the influx of low-cost Chinese electric vehicles in the European market, Citroen plans to further develop.

Koskas stated that the brand plans to launch a cheaper C3 electric vehicle in early 2025, with a starting price of 20000 euros and a reduced range of 200 kilometers.

Citroen's C3 accounted for 11% of the European urban car market last year. Since the first model was introduced in 2002, over 5.6 million vehicles have been sold.

Citroen launched the e-C3 electric SUV in HangarY, a huge hangar where airships were assembled in late 19th century France, and also released a new symbol of its return to its origins. (Chen Chen)