Citroen has only the C5 Aircross on sale and it has only a few dealers across India. However, the French brand’s next step is to leap straight into the Indian automotive market. It is launching C3 hatchback in July this year, which will compete in the high volume sub 4-metre segment.
However, is an all-electric compact car is set to arrive in India in early 2023. The company is also planning to increase its dealer network across India to cater the higher sales volumes the market models would bring.
Speaking to the Indian media, Carlos Tavares, CEO of the Stellantis group, said, “First of all, I need to mention our electric powered automobiles below the smart-vehicle programme are engineered in India and the primary EV will arrive subsequent year.”
The smart car programme – additionally known as the C-cubed programme – goes to construct variety of compact and lower priced motors constructed on Citroen’s CMP platform with India as the worldwide manufacturing base. Citroen to deliver huge variety of EVs to India
Tavares did however no longer spell out genuine info on Citroen’s first EV for India, however he did verify that it’d be a sub-4-metre version primarily based totally at the identical platform because the C3, and that it’d be observed up with the aid of using more than one fashions with special frame styles. “We are going to convey now no longer handiest compact EVs that fall beneath the Indian marketplace phase of much less than 4m, however we are able to additionally convey EVs to humans movers with the following merchandise we launch. So we are able to convey MPVs, CUVs and the likes,” stated Tavares.
Whilst the release of the C3 itself has been behind schedule with the aid of using almost a 12 months because of disruptions because of the pandemic, the EV version is on track. “Like others, we too have suffered setbacks with the worldwide situation, however that the EV will arrive subsequent 12 months is clear,” Tavares confirmed.
He in addition emphasized that an EV model in this platform become continually the plan. “Since day one of the smart-vehicle programme, approximately 4 to 5 years ago, we knew the route the marketplace become headed in the direction of and determined that the ones merchandise will even have an EV model,” stated Tavares. Making EVs affordable
Tavares additionally stressed that Citroen’s first EV for India might be less expensive, adding, “The challenge for EVs in India is twofold: to have smooth electricity to electricity them and to cause them to less expensive, and that 2nd component is in our hands.”
He stated that even as he become thrilled with the extent of engineering and improvement long gone into making the motors greater localised, and therefore less expensive, the batteries – the most costly issue in an EV – will to start with be imported. “The motors we are able to make from Chennai can have over ninety percentage localisation. We might have appreciated to have batteries additionally from India, however, sourcing them domestically isn’t always feasible as yet. As quickly as this will become a fact though, we are able to flow closer to sourcing batteries in India.”
With the release of its compact electric powered automobile subsequent year, Citroen will hugely leapfrog set up gamers who’re all slowly locating their manner withinside the swiftly rising EV space. Market chief Maruti will best have its first EV through 2025, even as Hyundai – additionally a dominant participant withinside the compact space – will release an less expensive EV approximately to 3 years from now. Tavares predicts that through 2025 the EV penetration of the Indian marketplace might be 5 to 10 percentage, and will move as much as as a good deal as 25 percentage through 2030.
The different interesting proposition for Stellantis is the usage of the platform to underpin electric powered Jeeps. The American SUV maker these days previewed what might be its first all-electric powered product, additionally stated to be underpinned through the CMP architecture. With the Jeep logo trying to make bigger its presence and portfolio withinside the Indian marketplace, count on Stellantis to leverage synergies among each Citroen and Jeep here.