Targets on BYD, MG and GWM! 2024 Citroen e-C3 electric SUV to boast China-rivalling starting price

New badge, new look, and new target. The Citroen C3 is going electric, and it’s taking aim at affordable models from Chinese brands like BYD and MG.

Revealed overnight in Europe, the 2024 Citroen e-C3 light SUV is launching as an electric car with a very city-friendly driving range and a base model on the way with a starting price of 19,990 Euros - that’s equivalent to AUD$33,200.

While not locked in for Australia, a starting price even a little further north of the mid-$30K mark would put it in proper contention with low-cost Chinese models like the BYD Dolphin (from $38,890 before on-roads), the MG4 ($38,990) and the GWM Ora ($39,990).

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With a launch variant boasting a 44kWh battery with a 320km driving range, the e-C3 will later add a new entry-level variant with a 200km driving range at that 19,990 Euro starting price. 

Even the longer-range model starts from 23,300 Euros, or a directly converted AUD$38,700. It features an 83kW front electric motor which allows a 0-100km/h sprint of… about 11 seconds.

Citroen’s ‘Advanced Comfort Suspension’ consisting of its ‘Progressive Hydraulic Cushions’ will feature on the C3 for the first time, a system designed to minimise the feeling of suspension bumps through the cabin.

The 44kWh version can be charged at up to 100kW with DC fast charging, allowing a juice-up from 20 to 80 per cent “in just 26 minutes”.

But importantly, the C3 is the first to debut the new oval-bound version of the Citroen ‘chevron’ logo, a badge very similar to that worn by the French brand around a century ago.

CarsGuide contacted Citroen Australia to find out if there are any local plans for the new C3 - stay tuned.

While the C3 sells in very small numbers here in Australia - 53 of the brand’s 191 sales so far in 2023 are C3s - it makes up 11 per cent of the ‘B-Segment’ market’s sales in Europe, and 29 per cent of Citroën’s European sales.

For the year of 2022, Citroen sold 375,578 cars in Europe, somewhat more than its market presence here.