The figures for the main European countries have all been published for the month of March, which gives a fairly accurate picture of the performance of the various Stellantis brands, as these countries represent approximately 85% of the European market.
The European markets ended March with their eighth consecutive month of growth, thanks to an improvement in the shortage of components and in logistical problems. More than one million cars were sold in these markets (France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Portugal), an increase of 26.77% compared to March 2022, an increase which must be qualified as the shortage of components hit the automotive sector hard in the first quarter of 2022.
Thanks to the increase in its sales in France, Citroën thus recorded a significant increase in March, even if it remained below the market average, but overall Citroën held its own among the Stellantis brands, with the exception of Peugeot, which recorded a strong increase thanks to solid performances in Italy, Portugal and Spain. Unlike January and February, when Citroën's sales in France were down, this time the brand's positive trend in France is helping it to make strong progress in Europe, as confirmed by the weight of France in the brand's sales.
With almost 41% of Citroën's sales, France is therefore the driving force behind the brand's sales in Europe and is approaching the level observed for Peugeot (42.92%), when France only accounted for 37% of Citroën's sales in February.
Paradoxically, Peugeot's performance in France is lower than that recorded by the brand in February because sales in other countries grew much more strongly than in France, reducing the weight of France in Peugeot's sales, although this share remains higher than that of Citroën. DS, for its part, remains heavily dependent on France (+52% of DS sales are made in France), but this share is also down on February, when it was 55%.
The final figures for the European market will be published in about ten days' time, but on the basis of this analysis there is every reason to believe that Citroën's sales are on the rise and could be around the 48,000 mark. For your information, here are the figures for the main markets:
