Stellantis will only sell fully electric vans in Europe


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PARIS – Citroën, Peugeot and Opel will only sell fully electric versions of their compact and mid-size vans in Europe, dropping high-emission internal combustion versions from January.

The decision was made to ensure the future viability of these models, CEOs of the Stellantis brands said in separate press releases on Thursday.

The models are passenger versions of light utility vans, and professional customers can continue to order internal combustion transmissions, as can buyers from most countries outside the European Union and the United Kingdom (which share emission rules), including Switzerland and the Balkans, the brands said.

Citroën said Thursday that the decision was taken to ensure the future viability of the two models, and to ensure that the Stellantis brand is an active player in the energy transition.

“Electrification is a particularly sensitive issue for the future of the MPV segments,” Citroën said in a statement. “Their shape and weight lead them to consume more fuel, while gasoline prices continue to rise.

“This situation will quickly reduce the relevance of gasoline or diesel offerings for these models,” the statement said. It will be a bit more difficult for automakers to meet EU emissions rules in 2022, as the “super credit” for sales of fully electric vehicles increases to 1.33 from 1.67 in 2021.

The models concerned are the compact Citroën Berlingo, Opel Combo Life and Peugeot Rifter; and the intermediaries Citroën Jumpy Combi / SpaceTourer, Opel Vivaro / Zafira Life and Peugeot Expert / Traveler. Stellantis’ new partner Fiat, which will get a version of the midsize van called Scudo, has yet to announce a similar policy.

The vans were strong sales in 2021. The Berlingo was the second best-selling compact car-derived minivan (built on a passenger car platform), with 26,179 sales through November, according to JATO Dynamics , behind the Volkswagen Caddy (28,502 sales) and ahead of the Peugeot Rifter (22,490 sales). Opel recorded 12,929 Combo sales.

The Zafira recorded 9,338 sales through November, the Traveler 7,319 and the SpaceTourer 5,820.

However, only a small fragment of vans is sold with fully electric transmissions.

Citroën CEO Vincent Cobee said fully electric versions would be enough to attract buyers. “Without compromising on space or utility, which are the main reason to buy these models, we are confident in the ability of the e-Berlingo and the e-SpaceTourer to meet the many needs of our customers”, a- he said in a statement.

Opel CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz said the shift to electric-only vans was a key step towards Opel’s goal of selling only fully electric vehicles in Europe by 2028.

The e-Berlingo, for example, has a range of 380 km, or 236 miles, and the range of the e-SpaceTourer is 330 km, or 205 miles, with an optional 75 kilowatt-hour battery (a 50 kWh has a range of 230 km). Opel and Peugeot vans have similar specifications.

Emissions for the diesel versions of the Berlingo started at 113 grams per km of C02, with petrol versions having emissions up to 160 g / km. SpaceTourer’s emissions ranged from 168 g / km to 194 g / km, only available in the diesel version.

The price, however, could be an issue. The e-Berlingo, for example, starts at 35,300 euros in France, while the cheapest thermal version available in 2021 starts at 23,150 euros.

Likewise, the cheapest e-Jumpy / SpaceTourer starts at 48,450, while a base internal combustion model in 2021 was 32,350. Government premiums for electric vehicles will reduce those prices by several thousand euros. .

At the top of the range, the most expensive e-Berlingo is at 39,350 euros, excluding options and the high-end e-SpaceTourer finish starts at 70,950 euros, making it the most expensive passenger vehicle in the range. Citroën. Compact vans are available in two lengths and mid-size vans in three.

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