In sales terms the C3 has already toppled the iconic 2CV from its throne and the electric version also sticks to the formula of "keep it simple".
Launched in 2002, more than 5.6 million combustion-powered C3s have been sold, while 5.1 million 2CVs were produced in its 41-year career.
Back then, the requirements were still simple: The 2CV was required to carry two farmers, a hundredweight of potatoes or a barrel of wine at speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour.
A modern small car has to be able to offer a good deal more than that and many manufacturers are struggling to create one that is suitable for everyday use, is affordable and also electric.
Citroen clearly thinks it has cracked the problem and is launching the new eC3 in the summer - at a competitive price of €23,300.
Unlike bargain basement models such as the Renault Twingo or the Dacia Spring, the C3 is neither a dwarf, nor does it have such measly driving performance that it is more of a traffic obstacle than a viable means of transport.
At 360 km, the range is pretty decent too and for €11,000 less than an electric Opel Corsa, you get a 4.02 metre "small car" that has the presence of an SUV but without the aggression.
The snub-nosed runabout presents a friendly face to the world and invites you to take a ride in a simple but charming cabin with its dash of Gallic charm.
There are four doors, but the car can accommodate five people at a pinch and it is even a tad more spacious in the rear than its predecessor. A total of 310 litres of boot space is not bad in this class.
Renault has cut costs by building the car in Slovenia, where wages are lower, and it has also streamlined the range to eliminate too many variants.
Equipment is basic, for example the entry model even lacks navigation, but the power-train is common to all. A motor with 83 kW/113 hp and a cheap and cheerful lithium iron phosphate battery rated at 44 kWh.
This may sound modest, but it is a good fit for a small car that is destined to be driven in the city or in the surrounding area for most of the time.
A turning circle of 4.98 metres is a boon too and the eC3 should be an easy car to drive on urban streets - especially since the C3 is fairly light too, at least for an electric car, at just under 1.5 tonnes. That enables it to dash away from the traffic lights.
The compact battery also has another advantage in that it takes less than half an hour to be juiced-up from from 20 to 80%. Only on some motorways might the C3 feel a bit odd, because it won't go faster than 132 km/h.
The C3 makes up for this with another typical Citroen trait which is rarely found in small cars. The battery lowers the centre of gravity, making the C3 more stable. The car does not feel at all nervous and straight-line stability is good.
By pitching the car at such an attractive price, the C3 comes closer to the idea of an affordable car for the people than anything that Volkswagen, the Koreans or the Chinese have in their portfolio.
But the French seem to believe that even less can be more. Next year a more basic version will debut with a battery that only has to provide 200 kilometres of motion. It will cost around €19,990 to buy.
The electric C3 is still pricey for a small car but Renault, in common with other Stellantis brands, has a bargain model on the block for those with shallow pockets. In this case it is a C3 with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine and 74 kW/101 hp, which is priced at just €14,990.
You have to hand it to Citroen: While the whole world laments the high prices charged for electric cars, the French maker has beaten even the Chinese by showing that an EV can also be affordable or at least significantly cheaper than before.
Whether this will be enough to rekindle the current worldwide cool-off in enthusiasm for electric cars remains to be seen.
Perhaps drivers will have to accept that a nominal range of 326 km or maybe just 250 km in real terms is plenty for everyday use. If that happens, the eC3 could be as a popular as the 2CV was in its heyday.
