The recent unveiling of the Citroen e-C3 and its focus on affordability made everyone wonder if the Stellantis brand will become the equivalent of Renault Group's Dacia. When asked about this, Citroen CEO Thierry Koskas admitted that while they will compete with Dacia in certain segments, the market positioning of the Citroen brand is different.
The Citroen boss spoke to Autoweek during the presentation of the e-C3. Koskas explained that Citroen, like Fiat, is a mainstream brand. Opel and Peugeot are slightly higher up the ladder, but still below the trio of premium Stellantis brands, including DS, Alfa Romeo and Lancia.
When asked about a possible rivalry with Dacia, the Citroen CEO said: “You are now comparing us with a brand that we have a lot of respect for. The difference between Dacia and Citroën is that we are a brand with a hundred years of history. We also have other core values, namely comfort, simplicity, sustainability, and courage. Cars should be affordable for everyone as much as possible, but we also make larger models such as the C5 Aircross and C5 X. The positioning of Citroen as a brand is therefore not the same as that of Dacia. We compete with Dacia with some models, but not with all.”
Citroen e-C3
When talking about Dacia-competing models in Citroen's line-up, Koskas is likely referring to the new C3/e-C3 supermini and the upcoming successor to the C3 Aircross B-SUV. The family-friendly C3-based model has been teased with a 7-seat layout, suggesting an indirect rival to the Dacia Jogger crossover wagon.
Back to the Citroen e-C3, the model will arrive in 2024 with a range of 320 km (199 miles) and a starting price of €23,300 ($24,643), undercutting the upcoming Renault 5 and VW ID.2 electric rivals. In addition, Citroen promised an even cheaper €19,990 ($21,133) version set to debut in 2025 with a range of 200 km (124 miles), plus a gasoline-powered C3 that could be even cheaper.
Source: Autoweek
