Photo: Stellantis
After Stellantis started teasing the eC3 on Citroën’s official Indian website, we thought the vehicle would only emerge closer to its deliveries, initially expected to start in March. Surprisingly, the carmaker did not wait that long to reveal more aspects of the new EV, possibly to show the rumors about it were mostly wrong.
While part of the Indian automotive press said the battery pack would have a capacity between 20 kWh and 30 kWh, some websites said it would be 30.2 kWh. In the end, the B-segment hatchback will count on 29.2 kWh. It will indeed be supplied by SVolt, although Stellantis expressed its intention to localize its production. That will depend on an Indian supplier or on Chinese companies establishing factories in India.
Citroen disclosed that the eC3 would manage to run 320 kilometers (198 miles) on a full charge under the Automotive Research Association of India’s (ARAI) test cycle. Nobody asked Stellantis if the battery pack was air-cooled or liquid-cooled. They also lost the chance to ask if 29.2 kWh is the total capacity or just what the car will manage to use. Some EVs have some spare capacity reserved for buffering.
Like the combustion-engined version, the eC3 is 3.98 meters (156.7 inches) long, 1.73 m (68.1 in) wide, 1.60 m (63 in) tall, and has a 2.54 m (100 in) wheelbase. The motor will not offer 86 bhp, as some earlier rumors said it would. The true power is 57 ps (56 hp). Curiously, they got the torque right: 143 Nm (105.5 pound-feet).
The relatively weak motor was probably chosen to give the EV more range: the eC3’s top speed is only 107 kph (66.5 mph). Considering a 0-to-100-kph (62-mph) acceleration time would be equivalent to reaching its top speed, Stellantis only revealed the acceleration time from 0 to 60 kph (37.3 mph): 6.8 seconds.
The most crucial aspect of this new electric car is the price. Yet, Stellantis did not talk about it right now. The automaker will open pre-orders for it on January 22, and deliveries should start in February, one month earlier than rumors stated it would happen. We should hear about pricing when reservations open. After all, how can anyone commit to buying something whose cost they ignore?
Before these first official pictures and info, price estimates seemed to be all based on the Citroën eC3’s leading rival, the Tata Tiago EV. The competitor comes with a 24-kWh battery pack, a 315-km (195.7-mi) range, and a price between Rs849,000 ($10,445 at the current exchange rate) and Rs1.179 million ($14,505). Most Indian websites are now betting on the same figure: Rs899,000 ($11,060). That is just too precise to be just a hunch, isn't it?
Citroen disclosed that the eC3 would manage to run 320 kilometers (198 miles) on a full charge under the Automotive Research Association of India’s (ARAI) test cycle. Nobody asked Stellantis if the battery pack was air-cooled or liquid-cooled. They also lost the chance to ask if 29.2 kWh is the total capacity or just what the car will manage to use. Some EVs have some spare capacity reserved for buffering.
Like the combustion-engined version, the eC3 is 3.98 meters (156.7 inches) long, 1.73 m (68.1 in) wide, 1.60 m (63 in) tall, and has a 2.54 m (100 in) wheelbase. The motor will not offer 86 bhp, as some earlier rumors said it would. The true power is 57 ps (56 hp). Curiously, they got the torque right: 143 Nm (105.5 pound-feet).
The relatively weak motor was probably chosen to give the EV more range: the eC3’s top speed is only 107 kph (66.5 mph). Considering a 0-to-100-kph (62-mph) acceleration time would be equivalent to reaching its top speed, Stellantis only revealed the acceleration time from 0 to 60 kph (37.3 mph): 6.8 seconds.
The most crucial aspect of this new electric car is the price. Yet, Stellantis did not talk about it right now. The automaker will open pre-orders for it on January 22, and deliveries should start in February, one month earlier than rumors stated it would happen. We should hear about pricing when reservations open. After all, how can anyone commit to buying something whose cost they ignore?
Before these first official pictures and info, price estimates seemed to be all based on the Citroën eC3’s leading rival, the Tata Tiago EV. The competitor comes with a 24-kWh battery pack, a 315-km (195.7-mi) range, and a price between Rs849,000 ($10,445 at the current exchange rate) and Rs1.179 million ($14,505). Most Indian websites are now betting on the same figure: Rs899,000 ($11,060). That is just too precise to be just a hunch, isn't it?
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