Marketed for a year in Brazil, the small Citroën C3 does not have an electric engine, unlike in India where an electric offer exists since February 2023. At the time, Citroën was quick to say that an electric version was not planned for Latin America, but things seem to be changing as a surprisingly camouflaged C3 has been spotted.
Coming directly from Italy, where Stellantis has a test and development centre, this particular Citroën C3 is in fact a 100% electric version, according to the papers stuck to the windows. This could therefore indicate that Citroën is preparing to carry out tests in Brazil with the aim of launching a 100% electric version of its C3 soon, which would make particular sense on the Brazilian market.
Although the C3 has been one of the most accessible cars sold in Brazil since its launch, it also faces competition from Chinese brands, including BYD, which has just launched a 100% electric version called the Dolphin. Citroën must therefore be able to respond, and it intends to do so on the basis of our next European C3, from which it will take its mechanical elements.
A very European ë-C3
If the C3 is already available in an electric version in India, it would be too much to ask for it to be marketed in Brazil, as its power is very modest, barely 57 bhp, and its small 29.2 kWh battery ensures too much autonomy. low, even if it is 320 km according to Indian standards, which do not correspond to Brazilian standards.
It would therefore be the next European ë-C3 that would provide the engine and battery for its Brazilian sister, as the provenance of this road-test prototype, which comes directly from Italy, suggests.
As in India, there should be no major differences between the thermal and electric versions on the Brazilian market, apart from the position of the charging hatch. However, these tests, if they show that Citroën really intends to launch an electric C3 on the Brazilian market, are extremely interesting and indicate that Citroën, like Stellantis, seems determined to embrace electrification and, in particular, to respond to Chinese competition.
Currently, BYD offers the Dolphin, which is larger than the C3 (4m29 compared to 3m99), at a price of 149,800 reals or 27,550 euros, a very high price but close to what Renault offers with its Kwid E-Tech (equivalent to the Dacia Spring), which sells for 142,990 reals or 26,300 euros. This is enough to leave room for Citroën, which should be able to offer a more accessible electric version on the Brazilian market, as it is preparing to do in Europe. If the very next European version, whose announced price is less than €25,000 excluding bonuses, comes to boost the future electric C3 in Brazil by making it more accessible than its rivals, Citroën could strike a major blow... just as it will do on 17 October with the presentation of the 4th generation C3 in Europe.