Citroen has released the first set of details and specifications of the European-spec eC3 electric hatchback, which differs in styling, platform and powertrain from the one sold in India.
- C3 for Europe is sold as EV only
- Sits on a heavily modified CC21 platform
- Gets more power, range and features than the Indian car
Citroen eC3 for Europe: what all is different
First up, the design direction for the Euro-spec Citroen eC3 clearly seems to be inspired by the Citroen Oli concept that was shown last year. Up front, Citroen’s new logo takes centre stage with two angular headlamps placed on each side, while the grille is split into two horizontal slats that blend neatly with the front design. The bumper is tall and chunky with prominent cuts and creases along with a large air dam with a faux skid plate at the bottom.
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On the side, the car does look quite similar to the India-spec eC3, but a closer look reveals that the fenders are different and so are the doors. The door handles too are pull-type instead of the lift-type units that we get on the car sold in India. At the rear, too, the tailgate, tail-lamps and rear bumper get unique styling.
Similarly, the interior has several unique bits as compared to the Indian car. The Euro-spec eC3 is more feature-laden as well. It gets a two-layer dashboard, a flat bottom steering wheel with mounted controls, a new digital instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch infotainment for higher variants along with a heads-up display and a few more features are included in the car sold overseas.
Like the Indian version, the eC3 for Europe will also get colour-coded bits on the inside depending on the variant. Additional features include, 17-inch alloy wheels, two-tone exterior paint, auto wipers, power-folding and heated side mirrors, automatic climate control and wireless phone charging, among others.
Citroen eC3 for Europe: platform and powertrain
Citroen has developed the Euro-spec eC3 to be one of the most affordable EVs on sale. It uses the CC21 platform, which is the same as the one used on the eC3 for India. While the model will be sold as EV-only in Europe, this platform supports combustion engines as well, as we see in the C3 petrol sold in India. This means Citroen can introduce a petrol-powered C3 in Europe if needed.
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The CC21 platform has been updated with a stronger crash structure with more reinforcements. It has also received a host of tweaks to improve refinement, while the battery compartment under the rear seat bench was changed from a T-shape to a square to improve capacity over the model sold in markets like India.
The eC3 for Europe will be sold with a 44kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack and a 111hp motor, giving it a range of 320km. In comparison, the eC3 for India gets a 29.2kWh battery pack, which powers the front axle-mounted electric motor that makes 57hp and 143Nm of peak torque with an ARAI-claimed 320km range. The eC3 for Europe will also have an entry-level variant that will have a range of around 200km.
Citroen eC3 for Europe: launch details
The Euro-spec eC3 will go on sale in the coming months and is touted to be one of the most affordable entry-level EV hatchbacks in the continent.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
