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Citroen is here for the long haul in Australia



CITROEN is a mainstream company in Europe with strong sales for decades but has long struggled to gain traction in Australia, where despite only selling 204 units through the end of September this year. Today, it remains a committed company with “ambitious” plans for the next half-decade.

To get a better sense of Citroen’s year-to-date sales results, a midsize car dealer representing a large displacement brand would expect to sell at least this number of new vehicles. in the same time frame.

But Citroen is optimistic about its future both here and internationally, with Peugeot Citroen Australia chief executive Kate Gillis pointing to a big future for the brand. Global Vincent Cobee.

At the recent launch of the new Citroen C5 X in Australia, Ms. Gillis said the Citroen range will continue to grow, with the company’s first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) coming soon and likely new models. First battery electric (BEV) service will follow.

Leading candidates for the move to electrification include the PHEV variant of the C5 Aircross midsize SUV and the BEV version of Citroen’s best-selling model in Australia, the C4 compact SUV, known as the eC4 .

When GoAuto asked about the timeframe for Citroen’s first locally-delivered BEV, Ms Gillis said: “There’s probably a bit of hesitation around going full EVs and PHEVs offer an alternative but dynamic solution. So does the current gasoline engine.

“What it looks like in the next few years will be part of the customer journey.”

In a bid to bring the brand to more buyers, Citroen Australia (and sister brand Peugeot) are embarking on a targeted marketing campaign with an increased budget next year that will include sponsorship. for the event.

“You will find especially as we enter next year that Citroen will have more presence, there will be more investment from both Peugeot and Citroen. We’re going to appeal to exactly the audience we’re after, and we’re going to have some new models to talk about. ‘ said Mrs. Gillis.

Citroen will not share its production target with Australia but Ms Gillis said that while she was open to expanding the brand’s small dealer network, it had no intention of becoming a mass market.

“We won’t go after volume at all costs but will draw inspiration from other smaller, premium brands on the market, including Volvo,” she revealed.

“I think we can say with certainty that we are committed to the Australian market. And that’s not what we’re just saying, we’re showing it with the product we’re bringing to market.

“We have a pretty ambitious five-year plan, but again that doesn’t mean we’re really going to aim for the top 10; what we have is a sustainable model for our dealer network and for us to be able to bring it to market.

Currently, there are 10 Citroen dealers nationwide with a total of 36 service providers across the country.

“We always get interest from potential new agents if I’m being honest with you, but we also need to consider what that means for the brand,” Ms. Gillis said.

“And we work very closely with our dealer network, having them is our success. We also need to make sure we have the right volume levels going forward to make their business a success.

“We have an ambitious five-year plan for Australia and we are always in touch with interested parties to expand our dealer network.”

Miss Gillis can’t speak GoAuto How many Citroens there are in Australia’s car inventory, but registration figures only in New South Wales and Victoria show that there are thousands of cars of various denominations still running around bearing the two-letter emblem.

When explaining Citroen’s low sales, she said the company has a bank of orders due to supply constraints and the numbers don’t take into account any pre-sale on the C5 X.

“We’re pretty comfortable with our performance year-to-date,” she said.

Mr Cobee said the company has recently adopted a ‘everything old is new again’ approach as it recalibrates to accommodate a world transitioning to EVs.

He outlined the brand’s long-term plans and largely focused on affordable small and micro electric vehicles such as Oli and Ami Quadricycle.

These Citroens and other suggested Citroens share similarities with older designs like the Citroen 2CV and C2.

Mr. Cobee outlined the French brand’s goal as “to build affordable, sustainable, and free-flowing electric cars”.

He said the series of crises that have rocked the auto industry in recent years are an opportunity for the 100-year-old French brand to “return to being extremely relevant”.

With the Ami four-wheel electric scooter and the new Oli concept, Citroen is looking to provide a path to affordable, responsible and enjoyable electric mobility.

When asked what is the rationale behind Citroen’s new direction, Mr. Cobee said: “At Citroen, we want to be accessible, we want to support happiness and we want to be bold. When you work on a concept, you’re not just trying to state the flag, you want to show a way to get to the flag.”

“We are in a place where freedom of movement is important – COVID-19 is proof of that – where economic stress will increase and where energy transition becomes a reality. We have only one planet and limited resources.

“So we put that on the table and said, ‘let’s not solve every problem’. With the Oli, we do not intend to make statements that emphasize aerodynamics or future body styles. We want to make a statement about electric cars that are affordable, responsible and free.”

Mr. Cobee said Citroen chose an ergonomic design for the Oli over a sports car or a sleek design because “life isn’t made up of gray shells moving around anonymously through the city.” city; and Citroen is not a sports car brand.”

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