As at the beginning of the month, Citroën in France is making some adjustments to its range in terms of price and/or equipment, depending on the version. For the start of the year, the brand is maintaining the same prices overall as in December, with the exception of the C3 and C3 Aircross, for which there are slight price increases.
C3:
As it enters the final months of its career, the small Citroën C3 undergoes a slight increase in its prices for the Plus and Max versions, which increase by €200 for all versions. The C3 range still starts at €16,590 for the You version but from now on increases from €20,300 to €24,950 for petrol engines, while only one 100% diesel version is marketed, the C3 Plus 1.5 HDI at €23,100.
An increase in price but a reduction in equipment as the Plus version loses the Airbumps that are now standard on the Max version. Citroën has also made some adjustments to the option packs, tightening up the range with the creation of the City&Nav pack, available on the Plus version for €800, which includes the following options (rear parking aid, airbump® black with banquise white capsule, My Citroën Drive: navigation on 7'' touchscreen tablet and electrically folding door mirrors).
For the Max version, Citroën offers a new option package, the Max Driver Pack, which for €1,000 offers the following equipment :
Hands-free entry and start
Rear view camera
Electric and sequential front and rear windows
My Citroën Assist: Citroën Connect Box
My Citroën Drive: navigation on a 7" touch-screen tablet
Safety pack 2
Black Perla Nera exterior door handles with chrome trim
Split leather steering wheel
C3 Aircross:
Citroën's small urban SUV also sees a price increase for the start of the year on the Plus and Max versions, the You version keeping its old price while losing the roof bars that were previously standard. The Plus and Max versions experience a price increase of 250 €/month or Cnt without loss of equipment. The C3 Aircross range therefore starts at €24,400 for the petrol version and goes up to €30,400, while the diesel version goes from €25,950 to €27,550.
If the equipment does not change, the options are grouped in new packs now called Safety & Nav Pack on the Plus version at a price of €800 and which includes the following equipment (Active Safety Brake, Driver Attention Alert, Collision Risk Alert, Citroën Connect Assist: Citroën Connect Box, automatic high beam control, My Citroën Drive: Navigation on 9" touch-screen tablet.
To sum up, these price increases seem completely inappropriate for the only two cars in the range that are still making money. While the market share in December is far from satisfactory, Citroën is increasing the price of the C3 and at the same time reducing its equipment with the risk of making it even less competitive than it can be against the Peugeot 208 and the Renault Clio. The brand can offer exceptional commercial offers (C3 for 99 €/month or C3 Aircross from 139 €/month), but if its cars are no longer competitive in terms of equipment, this is not the way to revive the brand.