Citroen C3 EV Debut Today - Tiago EV Rival

Despite being an electric car, we expect a more than 80 per cent localisation of parts on the upcoming Citroen C3 electric hatchback. The localisation of parts is very crucial in order to price the model competitively.

With the launch of the Citroen C3 electric hatchback, Citroen will be competing against the newly launched Tata Tiago EV electric hatchback. However, the Tata Tiago EV is offered in two variants, where the base variant is equipped with a 19.2kWh battery pack and a 105bhp electric motor, whereas the top-spec models come with a slightly bigger 24kWh battery pack and 114bhp electric motor.

At present, Citroen is yet to reveal the specifications of the C3 electric hatchback. However, the French carmaker has a few electric vehicles in the international markets, and the closest EV to the C3 electric hatchback is most likely to be the Citroen e-C4.

In international markets, the Citroen e-C4 comes equipped with a large 50kWh battery pack and a powerful 134bhp electric motor with 260Nm of peak torque. Thanks to the combination of a large battery pack and a powerful electric motor, Citroen claims that the e-C4 can do 350km on a fully charged battery pack and can hit 0-100km/h in just 9 seconds.

Apart from that, the Citroen e-C4 also has the capacity to charge using a 100kW DC fast charger. This enables the Citroen e-C4 to charge to 80 per cent of its capacity in just 30 minutes.

However, these specifications seem a bit too far-fetched for an entry-level electric hatchback, and we expect to see a slightly smaller battery pack with a capacity of around 30kWh and a real-world range of 250km to 280km.

Coming to the pricing, Tata Motors have nailed the pricing for the Tata Tiago EV with a starting price of 8.49 lakh (ex-showroom, India) for the base version. We expect Citroen to price the C3 EV around the Rs 12 lakh price bracket as it will be difficult for the French automaker to match the pricing of the newly-launched Tata Tiago EV.

Though the Citroen C3 will end up being more expensive than the Tata Tiago EV, we expect the French EV to sport better specifications than the Tata Tiago EV.

It is also worth mentioning that the upcoming Citroen C3 electric hatchback will be built on the same Compact Modular Platform (CMP) as the petrol-powered Citroen C3 hatchback. As such, it is safe to expect a similar set of features and safety systems on the electric version of the C3 hatchback.

Thoughts About The Citroen C3 EV

The launch of the Citroen C3 electric hatchback is crucial for the French automaker in India as it is very essential for the company to expand its business across the country. Moreover, the Citroen C3 EV could be an exciting option for many EV buyers in the country.