The artificial name Stellantis is home to a good dozen brands, including the French Peugeot and Citroën. Such a conglomerate offers opportunities, known from a business point of view as synergy, but also risks that can lead to soulless uniformity. Maintaining interest is an art that the company is trying to achieve, especially in the case of Citroën, through aggressive prices.

Holger Appel

Editor in the business world, responsible for "Technik und Motor".

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After all, this leads to the fact that a relatively inexpensive electric car is to be launched on the market by the traditional manufacturer with the double angle next April, with a modest range, but for 23,000 euros. This means that the C3 is still noticeably more expensive than previous entry-level mobility of similar quality, but a sign in the direction of the competition has been set.

Significant improvements

This is also what the sister brand Peugeot is looking for. By 2024, 12 electric models are to be on offer, including three light commercial vehicles. These days, the lion brand is showing the refreshed E 3008, the first vehicle on the new STLA medium platform, which is supposed to bring about significant improvements. For example, there is a range of up to 700 kilometres according to the WLTP standard and a charging capacity that is supposed to fill up 100 kilometres of distance in ten minutes on the fast charger. The 3008, which has also been upgraded with a floating-looking panoramic screen, is scheduled to go on sale in early 2024.

Meanwhile, the next step in the development of electric drives is already emerging. Competitor Renault and supplier Valeo are planning a jointly developed drive motor for 2027. The externally excited machine does not require permanent magnets, and no rare earths are required for production. The design corresponds to that which has already been used hundreds of thousands of times on the roads with the Zoe. However, the successor, called E7A, is expected to be 30 percent more compact than the engines of the current electricians Mégane and Scénic. The machine is designed for a voltage of 800 volts, with a maximum output of 272 hp (200 kW).