After the publication of the sales figures for the main European markets and before the official results for the month of April in Europe, it is possible to identify the first trends by looking at how the car markets of the main markets, which represent more than 80% of the total volume in Europe, have developed.
The seven markets analysed here confirm the positive trend observed in Europe in recent months, thanks to the continuous improvement of components that allow manufacturers to produce significantly more than in 2022. This represents an increase of 17.73% for the European market, with contrasting results for the different brands in the Stellantis group.
After an increase of more than 16% in March, Citroën's sales fell again in April, although this time the situation was different from previous months. In fact, while in January and February, sales in France marked time, those of April show an increase of more than 10% for Citroën, but it is the results on the other markets that weigh on the brand's sales with a negative result of 8.66% for the month of April. Along with Fiat, Citroën was the only brand to see its sales fall, while Peugeot, Opel and, to a lesser extent, DS saw their sales rise.
The situation of the brand in France, which is clearly different from what Citroën is experiencing in other countries, has another consequence: the weight of France is rising sharply and exceeds 43% of the brand's total, a figure higher than that of Peugeot, which is recording better performances outside France, with the result that the weight of France is decreasing. Citroën's sales in France accounted for just over 40% in March and just over 37% in February, which means that in just two months the weight of France in Citroën's sales has increased by 6 points, indicating a clear reversal of the trend in the country.
In conclusion, the brand's sales in Europe are expected to continue to decline once data from all European countries are available, with only March being positive for the brand since the beginning of the year. The brand's sales should therefore be around 29,000 units, giving it a market share of around 3.3%. The official data, due within ten days, will confirm these trends.
Here are the figures for the seven main European markets:
