Citroen e-C4 2022: electric SUV being considered for Australia

John Law

Contributor

The Citroen C4 has launched in Australia with a sole flagship variant packing a turbo-triple, but the electric e-C4 with 350km of range is under consideration

At the launch of the new C4 small car, there were questions about the possibility of the electric e-C4 (stylised as ë-C4) coming to the Australian market.

In Europe, the e-C4 is available alongside the combustion-engined range, riding on the same platform and offering 350km of WLTP range from its 45kWh battery pack.

Citroen e-C4 Shine 2022 rear 34 — The turbo petrol C4 has landed in Australia, but the electric version hasn’t been ruled out for our market.

In Australia, the C4 will only be available at launch in one premium specification from $37,990 (plus on-road costs) powered by a 114kW/240Nm 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine. As sweet as the petrol triple might be, though, we happen to think that the C4’s quirky appearance lends itself perfectly to electrification.

The electrified C4 won’t be available initially, though the marque’s Australian importer didn’t rule out the possibility of the e-C4 arriving in the future.

Citroen Australia general manager Kate Gillis said “it’s certainly an exciting vehicle, the e-C4. We are definitely evaluating it at this stage, and we plan to give you some further information in the near future.”

What’s the power and range of the Citroen e-C4?

If Citroen sees a viable business case in the e-C4, it would sit in the middle of the EV pack for range, with 350km of roving distance measured in the WLTP cycle.

Citroen e-C4 Shine 2022 social — The e-C4 can charge at up to 100kW and offers 350km WLTP range.

That’s impressive from a fairly compact 45kWh (usable) lithium-ion battery pack. To reach its WLTP range, then, the e-C4 averages 12.9kWh/100km which suggests the new C4 body shape might have a drag coefficient as low as the original’s 0.28Cd, though Citroen hasn’t stated a drag number for the new car.

The 100kW/260Nm electric motor sends power to the front axle exclusively and offers reasonable, if far from explosive, acceleration. The e-C4’s 0-100km/h claim is 9.7 seconds in Sport mode.

The e-C4 is able to fast-charge at 100kW, reaching 80 percent battery charge in 30 minutes. Hooked up to a single-phase 7.2kW wallbox, the e-C4 should take seven hours to reach 100 percent charge.

If those numbers sound familiar, it’s because the C4 rides on the same underpinnings as the Peugeot 208 and 2008, both of which offer an electric version with similar range from the same battery.

How much would the Citroen e-C4 cost in Australia?

Citroen e-C4 Shine 2022 front 34 — The electric C4 could come to Australia

The Citroen e-C4 could arrive here at a reasonable price, given that in the UK the 100kW electric engine costs £34,996, or 26 percent more than the £27,860 114kW 1.2-litre turbo petrol.

A direct price conversion puts the e-C4 at AU$64,080 at the current exchange rate, right in the mix with the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3.

However, if we increase the price of the Australian petrol C4 by the same 26 percent mark-up – as in the UK – the e-C4 could start at AU$47,900, which would make the electric Citroen seriously competitive against the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Kona Electric.