Citroën and Peugeot enjoy sales boost to start 2022

Citroën's Australian arm is enjoying a resurgence to begin 2022 after a torrid 2021, while its fellow Stellantis-owned sibling brand Peugeot is building on its success from the year prior.

Despite 2020 being the worst year in over a decade of the local new car market, Citroën experienced a significant dip in sales last year, shifting just 175 units throughout the 12 months – a 14 per cent drop to the pandemic-hit 2020.

Had it not been for the late introduction of the new C4 in November bringing an extra 26 sales, Citroën would have closed out the year with under 150 deliveries, as it hadn't even cracked double-figures by the end of the third quarter.

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The introduction of Citroen's C4 has spurred a resurgence for the brand

However, thanks to its best-selling C4, Citroën has bounced back to start 2022, with its 62 sales for the year so far representing an increase of 170 per cent over the same point 12 months ago.

While 33 deliveries in February might not sound like much, in comparison to the six sales throughout Feb 2021, the 450 per cent year-on-year increase is one of the biggest improvements of any manufacturer, aided mainly by the 13 C4 units shifted through the month.

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Peugeot has sold 130 3008s to start the year

Peugeot is also enjoying a strong start to the year off a solid recovery in 2021, having recorded a sales percentage increase of 32 per cent over 2020.

To the end of February, 367 Pugs have been registered across Australia – 143 more than the same period last year, helping it to record a 64 per cent increase in sales.

Its line-up has been buoyed by the arrival of its updated 3008 crossover, accounting for over one-third of the brand's sales, with 130 units shifted so far – 80 of which came through the month of February alone.

Across the two brands, only Peugeot's Boxer and Partner commercial vans have dropped sales compared to 2021 figures, although both are also the smallest players in their segments, holding just 1.1 per cent and 10.5 per cent of the market share respectively.

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508 is Peugeot's best-selling non-SUV offering

A spokesperson for Citroën and Peugeot's importer Inchcape told Wheels it was encouraged by the renewed popularity of its model ranges, with the upcoming arrival of Citroën's C5 X and Peugeot's newest 308 set to further broaden the model line-up.

"For both the Peugeot and Citroën brands, we remain committed to bringing the right product into the market to serve our customer’s needs," they said.

"The unrivalled comfort and original design of the Citroën C4 has strengthened the Citroën product portfolio in Australia and we hope that the C5 X will also resonate with the discerning Australian consumer and provide a new avenue of growth for the brand in [the second half of] 2022.

"The launch of the refreshed Peugeot 2008, 3008 and 5008 SUV ranges last year combined with the recent arrival of the plug-in hybrid models and updated LCV range in [the first quarter] provides a continued and broad offering locally for Peugeot.

"We also look forward to introducing the Peugeot 308 in [the second half of] this year and are hopeful the next-generation offering will further elevate and bolster Peugeot’s unique appeal here in Australia."