The Stellantis Group is expanding its presence in Africa and the Middle East with the firm intention of growing rapidly in this market to become a major player. To this end, the group has landed in Algeria, where a factory will be built to manufacture Fiat models, but Stellantis is not stopping there, and after Opel, it is now Citroën's turn to enter the Algerian market.
Reducing its dependency while strengthening its presence in high-potential areas is the objective of any company wishing to achieve sustainable and profitable growth without putting all its eggs in one basket. This is why Stellantis is aiming for strong growth in Africa and the Middle East, and is giving itself the means to do so by building a plant in Algeria, following the construction of the Kenitra plant in Morocco.
The Algerian project is primarily intended for Fiat, which will build several vehicles there, but other brands of the group will also be involved, such as Opel, which has already received final approval to enter the Algerian market. But another brand from the Stellantis group could also be present in Algeria: Citroën, whose final authorisation should be signed in the next few days. Citroën's entry into Algeria would allow the brand to broaden its distribution, in line with its strategy of becoming less dependent on Europe in order to increase its international sales, which should represent 30% of its volume in 2025.
In order to enter the Algerian market, Citroën would have a fairly wide range of models, mainly the C3, C3 Aircross, C4, C4 X and C5 Aircross, as well as the full range of Utility Vehicles, Berlingo, Jumpy and Jumper. The Citroën brand will be imported by the Elsecom group, which distributes the Stellantis brands and has specialised in this activity since 1981. The vehicles in the VP range will be offered only with petrol engines, 75 and 110 hp for the C3, the C3 Aircross, while the C4 and C4 X would have the 1.2 engine of 130 hp, while the C5 Aircross would be available with the 1.6 engine of 180 hp.
Citroën's entry into the Algerian market is all but certain, with approval only a matter of days or even hours away, Fiat dealerships are multi-branded and the Citroën logo is already present. This will allow Citroën to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, where it is doing very well, particularly in Tunisia, where it had a historic month in March.