French auto giant Citroen is preparing to launch its first electric car in India. After making its debut in 2021 with its flagship C5 Aircross SUV, Citroen has quickly joined the EV bandwagon in India. The eC3 is the third product in France after the C5 Aircross and C3. The company has now officially opened up reservations for the electric car. Citroen’s eC3 electric hatchback will be launched in February, aiming to compete with the Tata Tiago EV, India’s most affordable EV to date.
One needs to pay a nominal amount ¥25,000 to reserve an electric car. The Citroen eC3 can be pre-ordered through the French automaker’s La Maison dealerships nationwide. The EV can also be pre-ordered online through Citroen’s official website.
Watch: Citroen eC3 review: Tata Tiago EV challenger?
The eC3 EV is based on the C3 hatchback launched last July. At the time, the automaker revealed its plans to launch affordable electric vehicles for the Indian market. Compared to the standard C3 model, the eC3 doesn’t look too different. It has an “e” badge on the car to distinguish itself as an electric car. The car is the same size as its ICE version.
Also read: Citroen eC3 first driving impressions)
Apart from a few minor changes, the eC3’s interior is also identical to the C3 version. It gets a three-spoke flat-bottomed multifunction steering wheel, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. In addition, the infotainment system has more than 35 connected car functions. The manual gear lever in the EV has been replaced by a drive select switch.
The Citroen eC3 is powered by a 29.2 kWh battery pack and an electric motor that produces a peak power of 57 PS and a maximum torque of 143 Nm. The eC3 can accelerate from 0-60 km/h in 6.8 seconds with a top speed of 107 km/h.
The battery pack supports DC fast charging and can be charged from 10-80% in 57 minutes. It takes 10.5 hours to charge the battery pack from 10% to 100% using a 15A power outlet.
Citroen recently partnered with Jio-BP to provide charging network for eC3 owners. Jio-BP stations will provide electric vehicle owners with DC fast charging solutions. However, unlike most other EV makers in India, Citroen will not be offering eC3 owners a wall charger as part of the standard offering.
First published date: Jan 23, 2023 at 09:48 AM CST
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