For many years, the positioning of Citroën has been rather vague, the rumours of low-cost have never been contradicted, with the result that a fear has settled over the future of the brand. Citroën's new boss, Thierry Koskas, has unveiled his roadmap and his ambitions for the brand, announcing that the future electric C3 will be sold for less than €20,000, bonus excluded.
It was time to clarify Citroën's future and reaffirm its positioning, so that we could finally focus on the products that will arrive and concretise this new positioning. Thierry Koskas comes to put an end to the rumours of a low-cost brand, because the answer to the question "Is Citroën going to be a low-cost brand?" is clear: no! However, Citroën will position itself as an access brand to the Stellantis group, a generalist but more accessible brand, without going as low as Dacia.
A popular brand
Citroën's positioning is now clear: to be a popular brand, which is what it has been since 2016. Popular does not mean a low-cost brand, but must be understood as a brand that is loved by the public, that comes from the public, that is easy to approach and that appeals to consumers. This is Citroën's positioning, broken down into four key values:
- Comfort
Citroën and comfort is a long love story and a strong brand element that has been brought back to the forefront in recent years. Even if the brand has abandoned its hydraulic suspension, comfort remains one of the cardinal points of the brand's models, all of which are among the most comfortable in their segment.
- Simplicity
Citroën wants to simplify the life of its customers, from the purchase process to the use of the car. A simplification that means cars that are easy to use because they are intuitive, without having to open a 1,000-page catalogue to understand them.
Simplicity also means simplifying the offer so that consumers know exactly what they are buying and do not get lost in an ultra-low entry price that is often sacrificed in favour of a long list of options such as the arm.
This simplification of the offer will result in several ways:
Reducing the number of levels to 3, down from the current 5. It's a safe bet that the intermediate levels (Feel Pack and Shine Pack) will be removed to make the offer more readable, with Live offering access, Feel at the heart of the range and Shine at the top.
Reducing the number of options per finish to 5: the idea behind this reduction is not to reduce the offer, but to offer the options most requested by customers, simplifying the supply chain and thus reducing costs.
Transparent prices that allow customers to know exactly what they are buying: the price shown in the advertisements is the price charged when the order is placed. Similarly, the transition between versions will be simpler and easier to understand, as Citroën has been doing in France for a few months now to make things clearer for customers.
Durability
As Citroën announced at the Oli presentation, the concept of sustainability is at the heart of its strategy, but it will also be at the heart of all its brands, as the fight against climate change requires a review of the life cycle of vehicles.
Audacity
Looking at Citroën's current range, it is clear that the brand's audacity and originality are back. The C4 and C5 X have nothing in common with their competitors and stand out in the automotive landscape. The brand wants to continue in this direction by unveiling new concepts in the image of Ami, which is meeting with crazy and totally unexpected success by everyone.
But the brand's audacity will also be reflected in its communication, with Thierry Koskas confirming his desire to change the tone of Citroën's advertising without returning to the crazy ads such as Visa and the aircraft carrier.
These four values of this popular brand, which Citroën wants to turn into a mantra, have been hammered home for years without anyone really understanding what they mean: Make mobility accessible to all! Thierry Koskas replies that the term "for all" means that Citroën will continue to offer cars for all types of customers, from the small Ami or C3 to the large C5 X, including family cars such as the C5 Aircross or Berlingo, cars that meet both personal and professional needs, and this is what distinguishes Citroën from Dacia, for example, where the range is much narrower.
Rediscovered ambition
The last few years have been difficult for Citroën, which has seen its market share gradually eroded both in France and in Europe. But the brand is ambitious and has set itself the goal of selling 1 million cars a year in the short term, including 700,000 in Europe, which will remain the mainstay of its sales. But Citroën also wants to internationalise its sales in order to become less dependent on Europe and ensure sustainable growth. According to the Citroën boss, each of the three zones (South-East Asia with India, Latin America with Brazil and Africa Middle East with Turkey) should have an annual sales volume of around 100,000 units.
In Europe, Citroën is aiming for a market share of 5%, well above the current level of around 3.5% and 11% in France for the total market, i.e. passenger cars + commercial vehicles.
with the firm intention of returning to the podium in France.
A future electric C3 below €20,000
Thanks to the intervention of Thierry Koskas, it was possible to reveal the first elements of the future C3, whose presentation is scheduled for 17 October. This new C3, of which you will discover illustrations as close as possible from this 17 June at 11 am, will be completely different from the Indian version with a sale price, in its electric version, which should be around €25,000 excluding bonuses, i.e. fall below €20,000 with the bonus in France, while specifying that the brand could be even more accessible.
This future C3 will be a real hit on the market, as it will be quite unique, at least for the moment, Citroën ahead of Renault and Volkswagen, which will offer similar vehicles in terms of price in a year's time.
The brand will offer the future C3 with internal combustion engines, which again could be very well located since the announcements revolve around a price starting at around 15-16,000 euros, i.e. roughly the price of departure from the current C3 You!, which clearly shows that Citroën's positioning will not be low-cost.