► Citroen C3 range stretches downwards
► New C3 You! trim level from £12,995
► Plugs gap left by demise of C1 city car
The Citroen C3 supermini is getting a £3k price cut, as the range stretches downwards with the introduction of a new, lower entry trim. Prices for the C3 You! model will start at £12,995, in a bid to mop up buyers of the now-defunct C1 city car and prospective secondhand buyers.
That’s a substantial £3265 price cut and the new model will be sold exclusively through the Citroen Store website, where buyers can configure the hatchback and arrange finance online. We can’t see dealers turning customers who turn up in person away, however.
The new C3 You! model is available with just one engine: Citroen’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech 83 petrol, which offers 54mpg combined fuel economy. Standard equipment is more modest on this stripped-out model, but still includes LED headlights, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth phone connectivity and a five-inch central touchscreen.
Considering it has been decontened, the safety equipment list is impressive: tyre-pressure monitoring, lane departure warning and speed limit recognition cameras are standard and the C3 You! comes with cruise control, speed limiter and a coffee break alert feature to remind drivers to stop on longer journeys (other hot drinks are available…).
Citroen C3 UK range: one last push until replacement looms
It’s a sign of an ageing model range when a fifth of the list price is lopped off a cheaper model to pep up sales in its twilight years. The new, cheaper You! spec is one of five trims available in the UK, joining Sense, C-Series, Saint James and Shine Plus.
The Citroen C3 range was launched 20 years ago in April 2002 when it replaced the Saxo. Today’s third-generation model arrived in 2016 and is twinned with the Peugeot 208 and DS 3, whose front-wheel drive PF1 architecture it shares. More than a million of the current generation have been produced.
Eurig Druce, Citroen’s managing director, said: ‘New C3 You! – with its starting price from just £12,995 – is inspired by Citroen UK’s ongoing commitment to Fair Pricing. This is a brand new five-door B-segment supermini at a used car price.’
It’s worth noting that the new bargain-bucket C3 You! comes with Soft Sand metallic paint as standard; if you want any of the five other paints, you’ll have to pay more. The Elixir Red metallic pictured, for instance, costs an extra £695.
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