The Citroën C4, already on sale in Singapore in its thermal versions, has just been launched in its electric version at the Singapore Motor Show at the beginning of the year. This ë-C4 is even one of the most affordable electric cars on the market and Citroën intends to accelerate in this direction in the coming years.
As part of its internationalisation efforts to become less dependent on Europe, Citroën is seeking to develop its sales in all regions of the world with the strategy of offering accessible electric vehicles.
Christophe Musy, Head of ASEAN and General Distributor of Stellantis, said: "Citroën is, I would say, one of the best brands when it comes to practical features, because it's very important that our cars are accessible - it's about making your life easier.We want to be close to the practical needs of our customers.We want to be at the forefront of technology, at the cutting edge of technology, but at the same time it's very important to remain accessible. So we don't want it to be more and more technology (for its own sake), we love technology and we're always ahead, but it has to be useful and accessible to the customer."
However, as in Europe, the electric vehicles on the market are expensive and therefore inaccessible to the general public, which limits the growth of these vehicles, which are always more expensive than their thermal counterparts. In the future, Citroën also intends to offer electric vehicles that are accessible to all, and to achieve this, the brand is relying heavily on the oli concept, which, according to Christophe Musy, "is not a question of growth (more weight, more battery), but of a "less is more" logic. It is therefore important that we, Citroën, only offer technologies that are useful to the customer. And no unnecessary technology that adds weight and cost".
One of the first vehicles to respond to this strategy of affordable electric vehicles is the brand new ë-C3, which the brand has just presented in India and which could very easily be exported to Singapore, as Christophe Musy says: "For India, we have an electric C3 programme, and this car is affordable, not just a city car, but also a fun car to drive, it is compact, has a range of 200 km, it will be affordable and will have the latest technology. We're starting in India and we'll see if it can be applied to other parts of Asia. It's an opportunity we have that a lot of other brands don't have."
This future ë-C3, if it ever comes to Singapore, would be one of the cheapest on the market, helping to democratise electric vehicles.