Citroën has challenged the rules of the game throughout its history. Responsible for some of the best-selling models in the world and always with technology and innovation at the service of comfort and the popular classes, the company with the two chevrons is once again revolutionizing the automotive scene with its new electric car, the ë-C3.
Heir to a successful saga of B-segment cars designed and manufactured in Europe, the fourth generation of the C3 not only represents a new design language for the French firm (and the modernization of its iconic logo) but also a new chapter unprecedented until now. in the electric utility category. The ë-C3, the first version of this new family of subcompacts to arrive, will offer best-in-class comfort, a simple electric experience, an extraordinary level of equipment and an incredible quality-price ratio that no other European manufacturer has until now. able to offer a product designed and manufactured in the Old Continent.
The objective of a brand that proudly claims the boldness, comfort and accessibility of its products as founding pillars, was to face with determination and “realism” coherent and practical solutions to the challenges of making fully electric mobility affordable for all. To this end, it has created the first zero-emission B-hatchback “made in Europe” at a net, fair and reasonable price. The ë-C3, with 320 km of autonomy, will be offered at a net price starting at €23,800, and the access variant (which will arrive in 2025 with a use range of 200 km) will have a net price starting at €20,490 €.
Created from the beginning on Citroën’s Smart Car Platform, the ë-C3 – which debuts the company’s new logo and new design language – aims not only to adjust to the “real” economy of users but to provide an electric experience that simplifies and facilitates its use. Thanks to the 44 kWh battery pack, it provides up to 320 km of WLTP autonomy, with the possibility of rapid 100 kW DC recharging to recover from 20% to 80% of its capacity in just 26 minutes.
Standard AC recharging, also from 20% to 80%, takes about 4.10 hours using 7 kW power, or 2.50 hours if 11 kW is available. AC charging facilities, both domestic and public, can be accessed with the standard Mode 3 cable supplied, which allows it to be used in a single-phase 7.4 kW or three-phase 11 kW wall box.
As for the engine, it will offer a power of 83 kW (113 HP) and together with a fully automatic transmission, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in about 11 seconds; The maximum speed (provisional) is 135 km/h, which is a level of power and performance more than sufficient to cope with daily driving and traffic, especially in urban and suburban environments.
At 4.01 m long and 1.57 m high, the French electric car provides front seat occupants with 30 mm more headroom, for a higher and more dominant driving position, with a greater sensation of control. Everyone benefits from greater outward visibility, which contributes to increasing the feeling of well-being on board.
In fact, the new ë-C3 is more spacious inside in almost every dimension than its predecessor, despite being just 19mm longer and 6mm wider. Elbow room for rear passengers is 19 mm and front passengers 21 mm greater than the market average, while rear seat knee room is the best in its class, at least 20 mm. above average.
Faithful to its firm commitment to the comfort of its occupants, Citroën managers anticipate the best driving comfort in its category for the new ë-C3. And the smoke-free French subcompact will have for the first time the renowned Citroën Advanced Comfort suspension fitted to some of its older brothers combined with the new style of Citroën Advanced Comfort seats. In this way, it is intended that the operation of the fully electric ë-C3 will be silent and relaxing, without noise or vibrations, for stress-free driving, especially in the always “aggressive” and dense traffic of large cities.
As a complement to these solutions, the French firm also proposes a fully equipped interior. Despite establishing itself as a more moderate price alternative than other models from general brands, the new Citroën ë-C3 does not skimp on its standard equipment and surprises with a complete range of intelligent solutions, including the new C-ZEN LOUNGE, an innovative approach that reinvents the dashboard.
This concept responds to an interior where the driver and front passenger enjoy a clean and unobstructed view forward thanks to the large windshield and the horizontal dashboard that extends graphically throughout the vehicle, and which is flanked by the characteristic vertical air vents. from Citroën.
The dashboard is divided into two distinct levels, with the technical elements above, and a cozy Sofa Design-style fabric-wrapped section below. The real novelty on the upper level of the dashboard is the absence of a traditional instrument panel in favor of a new Head-Up Display that reflects the vehicle information in a glossy black section located between the top of the dashboard and the bottom of the windshield.
This intelligent solution ensures that there is no duplication of information, as would traditionally occur between a Head-Up Display system and the instrument cluster, and ensures that drivers can easily access all the key information they need without taking their eyes off the road. Additionally, the new compact multifunction steering wheel is smaller and easier to operate, and has adjustable reach and tilt to help ensure the Head-Up Display is not obscured when in use. In the center of the dashboard also floats a 10.25” color infotainment screen, slightly inclined towards the driver.
