Unveiled on 17 October, the new Citroën C3 has created a stir by offering a unique proposition on the car market. By combining an electric motor with an affordable price, the new C3 delivers on Citroën's promise to make electric cars affordable, making the brand the first, and currently only, to offer this proposition in Europe.
Totally new but worthy heir
Citroën is not a brand that looks to the past, it shows it once again by completely renewing the C3, which for this fourth generation exchanges the crossover aspects of the third generation for the trappings of an urban SUV.
With these more chiseled lines, the new generation Citroën C3 is more technical, less "toy" compared to the current generation, which has enjoyed great success throughout its career. To replace it and continue the excellent commercial performance of the current generation, Citroën has pulled out all the stops.
A new platform, a new design, a new logo... everything has changed except the spirit of the C3, which is intended to be the second car in the family, liveable, comfortable, well-equipped and versatile. Above all, the new C3 finally offers an electric engine, a first for the brand, which has decided to make this 100% electric version the main offer in the range. With 113 horsepower and a range of 320 kilometres, the new C3 is perfectly suited to the needs of families, who will benefit from the smoothness and silence of electric vehicles, which will increase comfort, which promises to be excellent thanks to the Advanced Comfort seats and suspension typical of the brand. And to top it all off, Citroën has the good taste to charge from 99 €/month for the C3 You or 179 €/month for the top-of-the-range Max version.
Successful pre-orders
The day after it was unveiled, Citroën opened pre-orders for this new ë-C3, allowing interested consumers to pre-order their new C3 free of charge before placing their order when it opens at the end of January. At Citroën, you don't have to pay €150 to have the right to pre-order your car like at Renault... that's what being a popular brand is all about.
Since its launch, the new C3 has already attracted more than 10,000 people who have pre-ordered the brand's latest model in the 9 countries where these reservations were open. A successful operation for Citroën, even if the C3 is not visible in the brand's network, which suggests real success when the orders are placed and the car is available for testing.
These more than 10,000 pre-orders also allow us to expect some surprises. While France naturally accounts for almost half of the reservations, it is in Germany that Citroën surprises as the pre-orders are a real success, making this market the second for the C3, suggesting future success for this new generation in this difficult market.
The new C3 has aroused a great deal of interest among consumers, with nearly 300,000 people visiting the brand's websites in Europe in just one month. It is also an encouraging sign that so many people, without going so far as to pre-order it, are interested in this new generation; this shows that it is arousing a keen interest which we will have to know how to nurture when orders open at the end of January.
In order, the top 5 countries pre-ordering the new C3 are France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Poland. This is particularly interesting for Italy, where the C3 is THE star of the brand, accounting for almost 80% of registrations, and where the new one seems to be just as popular, which bodes well for performances in Europe that are just as strong or even stronger than the eye can see.
Almost perfect parity between You and Max versions
During the presentation, Citroën insisted on the basic You version, whose base price of €23,300 is common to 8 European countries, which, according to government aid, should be even more affordable, as for example in France, where the C3 is sold from €18,300 minus bonus, i.e. €2,000 cheaper than a current C3 1.2 Puretech 83 in Plus version.
Priced from €99/month in France, the new ë-C3 You is therefore particularly accessible and we would have thought that it would be the best-selling model in the range.
But that's not the case. In fact, of the more than 10,000 pre-orders received for the new C3, the high-end Max version represents 44% of the total volume, which means that customers are not only looking for a price, but also like the new C3 overall. It must be said that the new generation is particularly desirable in this high-end version, especially inside, where the new Advanced Comfort seats and the warm interior atmosphere are sure to attract the crowds.
In conclusion, these initial pre-order figures are reassuring and show that customers are responding positively to the new C3, which is both electric and popular, accessible and fully equipped. There is no doubt that the opening of orders should make it possible to take a further step towards the success that this new generation deserves, which is part of an important line for the brand as the C3 has become the best-selling Citroën, ahead of the 2CV.