After a particularly gloomy year in which Citroën saw its sales fall and, above all, dropped to fourth place on the French market behind Dacia, the reactions were not long in coming and Stellantis made some changes, notably replacing Jérôme Gautier with Stéphane Caron at the head of Citroën France.
The changes also affected the marketing department of Citroën France, which was taken over by Nicolas Luttringer following the promotion of Alain Descat. The aim of this new combination is to give Citroën a boost so that it finds its colours in France, its main market, where it must be the third brand and where its market share, PC+LCV, is 11%.
And the effects weren't long in coming, as Citroën has been much more aggressive in France since the beginning of the year, with a series of changes that will hopefully boost sales. The first change was made to the L.O.A. (Lease with Option to Ascend) offer, where the brand changed its doctrine to bring prices more in line with the market. In fact, Citroën had previously communicated monthly rentals that did not require a deposit, unlike all other manufacturers and the market, where the average buyer's deposit is around 15%. As a result of this strategy, Citroën's rental prices were higher than those of its competitors and did not sufficiently attract consumers.
The brand has therefore changed its doctrine and, for a few months now, its L.O.A. offers have included an initial rental equal to 15% of the price of the car, which has had the immediate effect of reducing monthly rental prices to levels that are much more competitive and attractive. Thus, a C3 You! went from 199€ per month in January 2023 to 139€ per month in May with a contribution of 2500€, while the C4 is displayed from 219€ per month in May whereas it started at 249€ in January. The vehicles are therefore more competitive in terms of rental compared to their competitors, which will help to develop sales and attract consumers.
The other change concerns the electric C4, which has seen a significant reduction in its retail price to less than €30,000 with the bonus deducted, making it one of the most affordable electric compact sedans on the market. The ë-C4 Live is far from cheap, as it is equipped with all the most useful features such as electric windows and automatic air conditioning. Above all, the electric C4 is offered at a monthly rent of €199, including bonuses and the conversion premium like other brands, which makes it cheaper than the famous MG4, which is very successful in Europe, especially for its price. The ë-C4 Live thus returns the favour, especially as the compact chevron saloon is more spacious, more comfortable, just as well equipped, has the same range and is more efficient thanks to its optimised aerodynamics.
Finally, the last change is that the brand is much more visible in the media, with a daily presence on television and radio since 1 January to highlight either the C4 X for its commercial launch, or the C3 and C3 Aircross, or the C5 Aircross, without forgetting the C5 X, which also benefited from a new campaign highlighting the 48-hour trial offer that Citroën is offering there too to support demand.
In conclusion, the arrival of the new team at the head of Citroën in France has made it possible to reverse the trend and see a brand that is much more combative, much more determined, with a firm will not to let things go and to give everything to regain lost market share. The effects of this rediscovered combativeness will be felt in the coming months, but already the reduction in the price of the electric C4 has led to a significant increase in orders for the Live version, but also for the other versions, showing that a targeted action can have positive consequences for other versions or models.
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