This is how Citroën managed to keep the price of the ë-C3 below 25,000 euros (and it can be even cheaper) - AutoReview.nl

1: Cost-efficient EV platform

There is no secret, says CEO Thierry Koskas during the unveiling of the Citroën ë-C3 near Paris. "The car is like new Smart Car Platform. This has been specially developed for an EV and is extremely cost-efficient. Furthermore, we have looked very carefully at all aspects of the production process and optimized them where possible. The result is that the ë-C3 can be produced 25 percent faster than its predecessor (the current Citroën C3 with combustion engine, ed.)."

Citroën has also examined its suppliers and replaced some of them with new ones that work more efficiently. Finally, the various departments, such as design and engineering, worked together on the car from the start workflow was optimized. The ë-C3 is built in Slovakia and that will also have had a favorable effect on the price.

The platform is also suitable for combustion engines. Koskas said that these will be marketed 'throughout Europe', including the Netherlands. That is why Citroën consistently talks about the fourth generation Citroën C3 and not about the first generation of a new EV model. Koskas says it is in no hurry with these combustion engines as long as the current C3 is available.

2: small battery

The 44 kW battery pack is not very large. That is, for example, smaller than the 51 kW battery of the Opel Corsa Electric. Just like the Citroën ë-C3, it is in the B-segment, but costs just 10 grand more. The range may be greater, but Citroën emphasizes that 90 percent of motorists do not drive more than 80 kilometers every day and that 320 kilometers is therefore sufficient.

3: a keyhole

Fortunately, the ë-C3 is not as frugal as the old Citroën 2CV, but in the interior you can see that money has been saved here and there. For example, the Citroën ë-C3 has a keyhole next to the steering wheel and no start button. Where do you still see that? And the electric window controls are housed in the door armrest; that is cheaper to produce than a separate panel. This is not disturbing, by the way.

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4: no instruments

An instrument cluster as we know from most B-segment cars is also missing. The dashboard has been kept as simple as possible and consists, as it were, of one elongated part. That is also cheaper to produce than a dashboard and separate instruments. The latter has made way for a head-up display. This projects the most important driving data on a slim, shiny black panel that is part of the dashboard and is located above the steering wheel and below the windscreen.

5: always have your smartphone with you

You will also not find an extensive infotainment system with the latest software in the ë-C3. Instead, place your smartphone in the appropriate holder and use it to make calls, listen to music and navigate. This is done via a special app. There is nothing wrong with that, because more and more drivers are annoyed by the infotainment of their car and prefer to use their own smartphone anyway:

For those who find this all a bit too cheap, Citroën also supplies the ë-C3 with a central 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In this case too, you use your smartphone. The big advantage is that operation is now via the large display. The car does not have its own navigation system.

6: no choice stress

Now that we have come to the equipment: there are only two versions to choose from, 'You' and 'Max'. That is cheaper than if you put ten versions on the market that can also be expanded with a hundred different option packages. Just think about what you save online car configurator. It doesn't have to be very extensive. The same trick also suits Fiat Fiat 600e toe; that EV is also available in only two flavors, the 600e and the 600e RED.

Citroën ë-C3 is still unique

A starting price of 24,290 euros; Virtually no other brand imitates the Citroën ë-C3. Citroën's CEO also agrees: "The Dacia Spring is clearly a different, lower segment. Some Chinese brands are coming close, but no, the ë-C3 does not yet have a real competitor," says Koskas. "The cheap EV in this segment simply did not exist yet. The ë-C3 is the EV for the masses, just like the Citroën 2CV was in its day for those who wanted to buy a car for the first time. A smaller EV will not be available for the time being. The price difference would be so small that people would still choose the more spacious car."

What is in the pipeline is an even cheaper Citroën ë-C3 with a range of 200 kilometers. It is below the magical limit of 20,000 euros and will cost 19,990 euros to the penny.