Citroën e-C3: delivery delays which are very expensive

The period is complicated for Stellantis, which announced a few days ago that the planned profits will not arrive, causing the stock to sink by almost 15% in one day. This happens when the title had already fallen significantly due to poor management of the problems of the infamous 1.2 liter PureTech or that of defective Takata airbags at Citroën.

This time again, it is the chevron brand that is concerned, with its new ë-C3 city car which is accumulating problems and therefore delays. She first lost some of his equipment initially planned, but continued to fall behind schedule.

During our handlingthe test models ignored all the driving aids and assistance, in particular those obligatory with the GSR2 regulations. Problems that have continued to delay first deliverieswho finally started at the end of September… Too late to save Citroën from paying millions of euros.

Expensive social leasing

Stellantis very quickly boasted of the success of social leasing for the group's brands, but was ultimately unable to meet its commitments. Indeed, one of the conditions for customers to benefit from this large state aid was that the vehicles be delivered before October 1, 2024. In this case, €13,000 was covered, removing the costs. customers of the first increased rent while bringing the monthly payments to around €100, or even €54 for the ë-C3.

In this context, Citroën did well by selling 5,800 ë-C3s, before encountering significant problems, particularly with software, which meant it was unable to meet delivery deadlines, initially planned for the second quarter.

Despite great efforts by Citroën teams to resolve these complications, the manufacturer failed to deliver to more than 3,500 customers on time. The remaining 2,300 models will therefore be delivered to probably dissatisfied customers after the deadline to benefit from support of €13,000 per car from the state. This will therefore cost Citroën nearly 14 million euros, which will have to cover what should have been covered by public finances, so that the price announced to the customer at the time of purchase remains.

If you add it up, €13,000 in aid per car for 2,300 cars, that represents 30 million euros. Social leasing was in two parts, on the one hand the maximum ecological bonus of €7,000, for low-income households, to which was added an additional aid of €6,000. As the bonus is still valid on the Citroën ë-C3, the manufacturer must only cover the second aid.

Let us especially hope that, in haste, Citroën has taken the trouble to finalize its product in order to avoid future problems, which could prove even more costly.