As announced by Thierry Koskas last June, Citroën is committed to greater simplicity in order to offer a more readable, narrower range, making it easier for customers to find their way around. Today, the brand is announcing the new names of the three trim levels that will now distinguish the models in the range, putting an end to the previous names.
As I announced to you on 21 June, Citroën is changing the names of its finishes from Live, Feel and Shine to You, Plus and Max from 1 September. In order to be simpler and easier to read, the entire Citroën range will be structured around these three levels of finishes, as opposed to the previous 5, and each of these finishes will entitle you to 5 option packs, excluding personalisation elements. In this way, Citroën is responding to the needs expressed by consumers who are looking for simplicity and better readability in order to understand and make the best choice of vehicle. Thanks to a better understanding of upgrades and the different options available, Citroën also facilitates the purchase process for its customers and promotes trust. By offering appropriate levels of equipment and well-defined option packages, the brand provides solutions adapted to their needs and lifestyles.
This narrower range also allows the brand to offer more competitive prices and improved delivery times, thanks to a more reliable industrial process that reduces the diversity that creates a lot of complexity for the factories. This approach is also part of Citroën's desire to offer a fair pricing policy where the customer knows what they are paying without having to rely on the best commercial negotiation in the dealership. In Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany, Citroën is therefore launching a test programme for a "fair price" policy, with a net price for the entire market concerned. Indeed, in view of the expected increase in online sales or, at the very least, of consumers' habits of starting their purchase journey via the manufacturer's website, Citroën has decided to offer prices that are the same regardless of the sales channel chosen, whether direct from the dealer or directly from the brand's website.
With a range based on three levels of equipment, giving the right to 5 option packs, Citroën has opted for simplicity and offers consumers better readability of its ranges to facilitate their choices when buying a car. Detailed prices will be announced at a later date, but on the C4, for example, the first level, YOU, gives direct access to the best of Citroën comfort with standard equipment such as suspensions with progressive hydraulic stops, a dedicated 10" touch screen for wireless phone screen replication or even rear radars. The PLUS version adds Citroën Advanced Comfort seats, a reversing camera and 18-inch aluminium wheels. Finally, the MAX version adds equipment to make life on board easier, such as hands-free entry and departure, a connected navigation system, head-up display or even adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go function. Style is further enhanced by dark tinted rear windows and 18-inch diamond-cut wheels.
The range is completed by 5 option packs per version, with the body colour remaining an independent choice. Based on the analysis of orders and feedback, the logic of the packs has been established to avoid the customer having to find and then select the options that best suit his or her profile. For the C4, heated seats and steering wheel are available for customers living in areas with cold winters. Option packs that meet specific needs and facilitate the industrial process, allowing the brand to offer competitive prices.
Finally, if the range is now narrowed down to the You, Plus and Max versions, Citroën will continue to offer special ranges such as the ELLE range available on the C3 or the future range for the brand's electrified vehicles, the ë range, which is already available in the UK and Germany and with which you are all familiar. By simplifying its range, Citroën has decided to offer a more readable and compact range, allowing customers to move up more easily, while at the same time ensuring a competitive pricing policy thanks to a healthier management of industrial processes, which also allows for better delivery times. This desire for simplification is in line with consumer expectations and Citroën will not be the only one to reduce the number of versions in its range; every manufacturer should, in the short term, reduce the diversity that is a source of complexity and cost, which, in a world where cars are becoming more and more expensive, is a solution to making them more accessible.