The first electric vehicle (EV) from Stellantis in India will arrive in 2023. The announcement was made by Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares as he shared the company's EV strategy for India. Citroen will lead the charge on electrification for India, though Tavares does expect Jeep to also follow suit in a few years. "The smart car programme has been created under the Citroen umbrella, and the EV versions are part of this programme. In India the Citroen brand will be leading the way on EV introduction," said Tavares. The cars in question are being engineered in India with a view on affordability for middle-class consumers. Tavares says that currently there is a price gap with EVs being 40 to 50 per cent more expensive than conventional cars. "It is our task along with our suppliers, to absorb those additional production costs, to protect affordability, for the middle classes to be able to pay for this car. So we are going to bring not only compact cars, that are in the segmentation of less than 4 metres, but we will also bring EVs to people movers (MPVs) for the next products to be launched."
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The first car is expected to be the EV version of the soon-to-be-launched Citroen C3 crossover hatchback.
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The first car is expected to be the EV version of the soon-to-be-launched Citroen C3 crossover hatchback that is indeed a sub-4 metre model. The C3 will launch in India next month - though this will be the conventional fuel variant lineup. The EV variant will follow next year. The C3's modular platform is expected to spawn a compact crossover or SUV model, and a 7-seater MPV over the next two years. Each of those cars will also have an EV version. The biggest challenge is to increase local content on the EV models, according to Tavares. While all India-specific models have a minimum of 90 per cent localisation baked into their development plan - it is still way off for the electrics. Stellantis says it has as yet no supplier base to achieve such higher levels of localisation for the EVs but hopes that will change soon.
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There will be a fully electric Jeep model out in 2023.
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The battery itself will be the biggest challenge, as currently, batteries need to be imported. Stellantis will also actively seek opportunities to consider local sourcing of batteries for the EV models - to bring costs down further. At present, there is no plan, but it expects such options to be available over the next few years. EVs do form a huge part of the company's 'Dare Forward 2030' global plan, and they will play a role in India too, though not as aggressively.
Jeep will also introduce a locally assembled Grand Cherokee later this year.
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Stellantis also plans to make Jeep the leading EV SUV brand in the world by 2030. The company already offers a number of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of its models in global markets - badged 4Xe. And there will be a fully electric Jeep model out in 2023. But there is no immediate plan to bring either of those offerings to India. However, in the long-term Jeep India will also have an electrified lineup on offer. The brand recently introduced the Jeep Meridian 3-row SUV in India, and its price announcement is scheduled for tomorrow (May 19, 2022). Jeep will also introduce a locally assembled Grand Cherokee later this year. The Citroen C3 hatch will be Stellantis' next offering in India, after the Meridian.
