Alexandre
The Fiat Panda will return in an electric version, and the new Citroën ë-C3which has just been unveiled. a reassuring foundation for the future of rational Italian design.
The French brand Citroën has just unveiled the ë-C3, its first 100 % electric city car. And in terms of specifications, it's a strong one. Prices from €23,300 excluding environmental bonus113 hp, a range of 320 km thanks to a 44 kWh battery, a charging time from 20 % to 80 % in 26 minutes at a powerful charging station, or around 4 h 10 min on a 7 kW wallbox at home.
The icing on the caket's made in Europemanufactured at the Trnava plant in Slovakia, which already produces the 208 and C3. A fine competitor for the Dacia Spring, made in China, with a 26.8 kWh battery, for a price of €20,800 excluding bonus...
Citroën goes even further, promising an even more affordable ë-C3 with a 200 km range starting at 19,990 euros, excluding bonuses, by 2025.
This Citroën e-C3 is based onon the Stellantis "Smart Car" platform, derived from the PSA CMP, and will be used for another 7 Group models, including hybrids. This is not yet the STLA Small platform, which is due to begin its career in 2025.
So all this is a good omen for the next Fiat Panda which, as a reminder, will use the same base as this Citroën, manufactured in the same plant, and will be presented on July 11, 2024.
We'll put our trust in the Fiat who have made it even more fun the Citroën AMI transformed into a Fiat Topolinoand more recently, have succeeded in making it clear that a Fiat 600although technically not very Italian, still exudes Dolce Vita.
As a reminder, the current Fiat Panda hybrid Cross is priced at €15,600. If an electric Panda is also unveiled at a price of €19,990 excluding bonuses, Fiat would then be able to bridge the gap between the two worlds.
The specifications are respected, but the design of Citroën city cars has been a mystery for a long time... And since it's the trend of the moment, we've outdone ourselves. High on legs but narrow, ill-proportioned, giving the impression that 17-inch rims are wheels. If someone hides the logo from me and tells me it's an Opel, I say okay... I hope and pray that Olivier François will respect the magnificent Centoventi concept (even if we already know that we'll inherit the 600e's mirrors, which are the same as those on the ë-C3). Not elevated - the 600e is already there for that - correctly proportioned, wider trunk access, full wheel arches, well compacted (that headroom is ridiculous). The interior, airy, white, colorful, sober, timeless, MacBook. In short, the opposite. I notice that the good idea of the smartphone as a central screen has been taken up again, but in an ugly version. The Fiat version integrating the handset was much better thought out.
Otherwise, the AI is working hard on the illustrations! ^-^
I predict in advance that Panda sales will plummet, and since Suzuki has decided to convert all Jimnys into SUVs to avoid the malus, it will definitely erase the Panda from the automotive hits list.
And since it's still a multi-point injection engine, it can easily be converted to bio-ethanol... in short, the Total Solution.
For people who are not very wealthy, tall or flexible, this type of high-ceilinged car is a perfect fit. Purists beware.
Let's see how sales go, shall we? Alexandre will be able to give us the difference in the number of sales between the 4 generations, and I'm betting with no problem that the latter will never reach the figure of the 3 previous generations!
Optimists be damned.