2023 was an important year for Citroën in India as the brand continued to develop its range with the launch of two new cars, the new ë-C3 electric and the C3 Aircross, which was launched at the end of the year. Here's how the brand fared on the Indian market, with its challenges and interesting surprises.
The Indian market will end 2023 with a historic first, having surpassed 4 million units sold in a year, a level never before achieved. However, this good news also hides signs of concern, as the growth rate of 8.3% is one of the lowest in the last ten years, with the exception of the Kovid years.
How did Citroën fare in this market? With 9,488 units sold, the brand's sales increased by 56% compared to 2022, which was not a full year for the brand as the C3 was only launched in July. However, Citroën is the Stellantis brand that sells the most, as Jeep sales in 2023 fell by 50% compared to 2022, to 6,690 units. The strong increase in sales cannot be explained by the new products launched by the brand, the C3 Aircross being too young and the C3 electric in a market segment that is still too small, but mainly by a complete presence on the market.
Citroën's market share is therefore only 0.23%, but the brand has only really offered saloon cars, with the C3 Aircross being an SUV but launched too late to count. The saloon segment accounts for 30% of sales in India, giving Citroën a market share of 1%, similar to Renault and MG, which puts it in 6th place behind the evergreens Maruti, Hyundai and Tata. Overall, 85% of Citroën's sales were in the saloon segment and 15% in the SUV segment with the marketing of the C3 Aircross.
Finally, while the average sales price on the Indian market reached 1,190,000 rupees or approximately 13,250 euros, up 10.19% compared to 2022, due to inflation and anti-pollution standards, the price Citroën's average sales reach 940.00 rupees or nearly 10,500 euros, a level which places it above Nissan (9,800 euros), Maruti (9,700 euros) and Renault (8,600 euros), which is the brand with the lowest average price on the Indian market.
However, it is interesting to note the sales of electric cars, as Citroën presented the ë-C3 in February 2023. The launch of the 100M electric version of the C3, just 6 months after the thermal versions, allowed Citroën to take a 3% share of this market segment, which represents only 2.3% of the total market, or 94,305 cars, with Citroën selling more than 2,800 units. 3% may not be much, but it puts the brand in fourth place, ahead of BYD (2%), Hyundai (2%) and Kia (1%) and behind Mahindra, which has 7% of the market. 3% with a single car and a small network is a great performance that must be highlighted and which shows the relevance of Citroën's strategy of moving very quickly on accessible electric cars in order to be spared the strong competition.
Finally, a more precise analysis of market sales allows us to take a more moderate view. There are therefore reasons to be hopeful about Citroën's sales in India, particularly thanks to electric cars, where Citroën has a good market share, but also thanks to the contribution of the C3 Aircross and its new automatic version, which meets consumers' needs. Citroën has always said that it wants to be frugal and achieve profitable growth while insisting on a long-term presence in this large market, which is India, and the recent investment of more than 200 million euros confirms this.