Citroen says the cost difference for the tiny C1 hatchback is too small to justify its existence.
Citroen CEO Thierry Koskas has confirmed there’s no space anymore for a Citroen C1.
Koskas told our partner Autocar that the low launch price of the new electric C3 leaves little space in the French brand’s line-up for a city car.
He elaborated: “The A-segment is very, very small in Europe – maybe because there are not very many offerings. This is a very small segment. Why? Because at the end of the day, the price difference between the A- and B-segments was not so big. With a B-segment car, you had the benefit of a much more versatile car, [with more] cargo space [and seating for] five people. The benefit of the extra €1000 (AUD$1660) you paid was quite high.
“So for the time being, [the A-segment] isn’t a priority. But we’ll see what happens in the future. For the time being, we start with [the] Ami and then we go to [the new] C3.”
Citroën’s commitment to affordability will manifest a €19,990 (AUD$33,000) version of the new electric C3 with a range of 200km in mid-2025, said Koskas.
A spokesperson for the brand confirmed to Autocar that a combustion-engined variant is also in development, and that it is planned to arrive in the UK priced below around $28,000.
Although there are no plans for a new city car, Koskas did confirm that the lower-cost Smart Car platform, which will make its debut on the new C3, would underpin other Citroëns in the future.
“This is a platform that will receive different vehicles, because it’s a very promising platform where we can do a lot of things, and not only B-hatch cars,” he said.
He identified four “very clear” key values for every upcoming Citroën: “Comfort, simplicity, sustainability and daring.”
“What we need to do is to align the product line-up that we have with the positioning of a popular brand, to keep mobility accessible to everyone,” he explained.