Local Opel and Citroen dealers now have more electrified offerings in the showroom with the arrival of the Astra and Grandland plug-ins, and the BEV version of the C4.
And a sweetener for buyers is a reduction in price from the previously stated RRPs. That means the Citroen e-C4 is no longer $69,990 but $65,990. The new Astra GSe PHEV was $71,990 but lands at $64,990, while the Grandland is now $69,990, down from an indicated $77,990. Both of these hybrids qualify for a $4025 rebate, while the all electric Citroen gets $7015.
Part of the ‘Clean Car Clear Out’, these deals last until the end of September.
With National transport spokesperson, Simeon Brown, saying recently that the party will scrap the Clean Car Discount policy if it was part of a new Government, anyone interested in saving some cash on a low emissions vehicle best get moving before the country ‘gets back on track’.
It’s tough times for retail sales in most sectors, consumer spending down three consecutive quarters apparently. The head of ADNZ (the local importer of Opel, Citroen and Peugeot), Chris Brown, told us the last 12 months have been challenging. With the private market down 30 per cent, Brown says many brands have repositioned pricing lately. “This is a reaction to the circumstances that we are dealing with, we didn’t want to be the first or the last to react but the market has moved and we have responded ” Brown says.
The Astra GSe (Grand Sport electric) is the brand’s new flagship sports model. “Green with teeth” as they call it, while also being ‘sporty, sophisticated and sensible’, the latter by way of its up to 61km of electric driving range. The front-drive GSe has a combined 165kW and 250Nm from its 1.6 turbopetrol and electric motor. Matched to an eight-speed auto it’s said to hit 100 in 7.5sec and return 1.0L/100km on the test cycle (but real world use may differ somewhat).
Click here to learn more about the Astra hybrid
Read our review of the Astra SRi
The Opel Grandland has more torque from its 1.6 turbopetrol, and so its combined outputs are 165kW and 360Nm. A slightly larger battery (13.2kWh vs 12.4) gives the Grandland a max EV range of 67km, while its overall consumption is also stated at 1.0L/100km. It’s a bit weightier than the Astra, so hits 100 in a claimed 8.9sec. Both have a 7.4kW onboard charger and take about seven hours to recharge on a 10A socket, or two hours with a wall box.
Click here for the low down on Grandland PHEV
Citroen’s first electric car has landed in the form of the e-C4. It uses the same platform and electric driveline of the Peugeot 3008. With a 50kWh battery it has a stated range of 363km. The 100kW/260Nm motor is said to propel the e-C4 to 100 in nine seconds.
We took the briefest of drives in this, the smooth and quiet electric power delivery marrying nicely with the laid back nature of the C4 set-up. With ‘comfort suspension’ and its ‘comfort seats’ the quiet and smooth electric propulsion really suits the C4. Could the arrival of electrics help revive the brand’s fortunes here? That’s what they are hoping, as buyers look for more EV options.
For more about the Citroen e-C4, click here
