The 91st Paris Motor Show, held from 12 to 18 October 2026 at the Porte de Versailles, became the stage for an unexpected price war. While a decade ago the threshold for a budget electric car hovered around €25,000, manufacturers now argue that €15,000 can be the new entry point for a fully electric vehicle.
Industry insiders note that reaching this figure is not simply a matter of shrinking battery packs; it requires a holistic redesign of vehicle architecture, shared platforms and a lean supply chain. The show offered a snapshot of how both legacy European groups and fast-growing Chinese firms are tackling the challenge.
Stellantis rolls out the 2CV Concept and the pan-European E-Car program
Stellantis took the lead among traditional automakers. At the Paris pavilion Citroën unveiled the 2 CV Concept an electric reinterpretation of the iconic French utility car. The concept measures 3.76 m in length and is positioned for a series launch in 2028 with a starting price of roughly €15,000. Its design echoes the original’s simplicity, lightness and practicality, aiming to offer a genuinely affordable alternative to gasoline city cars.
Beyond a single model, Stellantis announced an E-Car family – a suite of low-cost electric models that will be built on shared components across several brands, including Fiat. Production is slated to begin in 2028 at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant in Italy, where three new vehicles, one of them a Fiat, will roll off the line. CEO Antonio Filosa highlighted the strategy as “industrial scale meets price scale”, emphasizing that the group is pursuing volume rather than a one-off cheap car.
Chinese challengers aim for the same low-cost segment
Chinese manufacturers are not standing still. Geely, represented in Italy by Jameel Motors Italy, displayed the E2 with a list price of €19,900 and announced plans for an even smaller model targeting the €15,000 mark. Managing director Marco Santucci warned that squeezing a brand-level quality and safety package into such a low price will be the biggest engineering hurdle.
Leapmotor also entered the conversation, offering the T03 at a promotional price of €15,900 in Italy. Although this figure reflects a discount rather than the official list price, it illustrates how Chinese firms can leverage economies of scale, an integrated battery supply chain and lower development costs to undercut European pricing.
European incumbents lag slightly above the €15,000 target
Other European groups presented models that sit a few thousand euros higher. Renault’s new Twingo E-Tech Electric starts at €19,500 while Volkswagen confirmed an approximate €20,000 target for the upcoming ID EVERY1-derived city car, expected in 2027. Dacia’s Spring remains the cheapest European EV on the market, and the newly announced Smart #2 also targets a starting price around €20,000.
These price points demonstrate progress but still leave room for a 25 % reduction needed to reach the €15,000 sweet spot. Achieving that level will likely demand further simplification of components, lighter vehicle structures and perhaps a new “European E-Car” regulatory framework that encourages small, inexpensive electric models.
Whether the promised pricing will survive real-world production remains to be seen, but the race has undeniably begun.
