Citroen India is all set to launch the eC3 electric premium hatchback later this month. It will be the first electric vehicle from the French carmaker for India, and sources in the know have told us that the EV will be priced between Rs. 11.50 lakh and Rs. 12.50 lakh (ex-showroom). The Citroen eC3 is the electric version of the company existing premium hatchback C3, and will mainly go up against the likes of the Tata Tiago EV, which is priced from Rs. 8.69 lakh to Rs. 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom).
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Currently, the regular petrol version of the Citroen C3 is priced from Rs. 5.98 lakh to Rs. 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom, India) which indicates that the EV version will be over Rs. 4 lakh more expensive than its petrol counterpart. And at the same time, the car is over Rs. 50,000 more expensive than its rival the Tiago EV. And we feel that Citroen should consider going for a more aggressive pricing strategy.
Also Read: Citroen eC3 Electric vs Tata Tiago EV – Specifications Comparison
Visually, the Citroen eC3 is identical to the regular petrol-powered C3 hatchback, featuring the same design, styling and colour options. The cabin too is largely similar to the Petrol car, but there are some fresh elements as well. The digital instrument console is a little different as it gives you all the necessary information you need while driving an electric car, like the state of charge and the remaining range. For the first time - courtesy an electric drivetrain - we see an automatic gearbox which looks premium and reminds you of the bigger C5.
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The EV comes with a 29.2 kWh battery pack that powers a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor to produce 56 bhp and 143 Nm of torque. In fact, the EV can do a 0-100 km sprint in 6.8 seconds. Citroen claims a range of 320 km on a single charge, and as for charging time, the eC3 takes 10.5 hours to charge the battery from 10 to 100 per cent when plugged into a 15amp socket.
Citroen India has already been accepting bookings for the eC3 for some time now, and interested customers can book the EV either online or by visiting the company’s La Maison showroom.
