Ahead of schedule, Citroën has opened orders for the ë-C3. Several reasons motivated the brand not to wait any longer.
Citroën is in a hurry to convert reservations for the ë-C3 into firm orders. None of its electric models had previously aroused such enthusiasm. Therefore, the manufacturer did not hesitate to open orders more than 3 weeks before the scheduled date to capture this enthusiasm. This is what Citroën confirmed in a press release dated January 10.
With more than 15,000 reservations recorded since October – a figure confirmed by general manager Thierry Koskas in an interview with Le Parisien on January 10 – it is possible to qualify the launch of the ë-C3 as a success. scale of Europe. More than half of these reservations concern France.
A breath of fresh air in the face of modest 2023 results
Until now, Citroën has struggled to attract buyers of electric cars. The results are disappointing in France, its main market, and the rest of Europe is not helping the brand shine. Only the ë-C4 allows the brand to not be completely in the lurch by ranking 20th in the French ranking of electric cars. The model saves the furniture with 3,703 registrations in 2023, out of the 5,287 recorded for all models:
- ë-C4: 3,703
- ë-C4 X: 697
- ë-Berlingo: 651
- ë-Jumpy: 236
The prospects brought by the thousands of pre-reservations are enough to put a smile on the face of the brand director. Even if they still have to be converted into a firm purchase.
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“ Do not make customers wait any longer »
Since its presentation in October 2023, the Citroën ë-C3 has attracted many customers for its design and its very attractive price positioning compared to the current market.
For €23,300 or €99 per month in leasing, the Citroën ë-C3 “You” offers an electric car 4.01 m long with more than 300 km of autonomy (approval pending). Its 83 kW (113 hp) engine and 44 kWh LFP battery meet the needs of a small everyday car. The “Max” version is based on the same base, but is a little better equipped. It is offered from €27,800 or €179 per month for leasing.
In his interview with Le Parisien, Thierry Koskas indicated the two reasons which pushed the brand to bring forward the opening of orders. The first is obvious, since it consists of “ do not make customers wait any longer “. The dealers will therefore contact all the reservation holders so that they can sign the order form and pay the deposit.
The second reason is more strategic. The Citroën ë-C3 is one of the models eligible for social leasing, with a particularly low offer of €54 per month for those who can benefit from it. Given the enthusiasm for social leasing in a few days, Citroën could fear that the 20,000 files would go to competing brands: “ I especially didn’t want to wait for the government system to be full “. Social leasing could represent several thousand Citroën ë-C3s, so they had to act immediately so as not to risk losing their share of the pie.
With or without social leasing, the first deliveries of the Citroën ë-C3 should take place in the second quarter of 2024.
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