Citroen is hoping to score big at the Paris Motor Show with its DS3 Cabrio, a new convertible configuration of the Mini-competitor.
But the company is also taking the DS3 in an even bolder direction, at least conceptually, with the DS3 Electrum.
We’re talking full plug-in electric here as Citroen tries to bring some of the pizazz of the DS3 into the electric vehicle space.
Citroen says [PDF] the concept car will come with twin 65 kilowatt electric motors up front, making it possible, the company says, “to electrify existing internal combustion vechiles.” A Panasonic 17.5 kW lithium ion battery provides for a range of around 75 miles.
That’s pretty much par for the course for the new wave of all-electrics – the Honda Fit EV recently was scored with a range of 82 miles, beating out the Ford Focus Electric, Mitsubishi i and Nissan Leaf but falling short of the Coda Sedan, whose range on a single charge is around 88 miles.
Citroen will also promote its electric ambitions at Paris by having its “Electric Odyssey” duo – this is the pair of guys driving around the world in an electric car – arrive in time for an appearance at the show. They’ve been driving a C-Zero, a Citroen-branded Mitsubishi iMiEV sold in Europe.
