After a very difficult year in 2022, in which sales slowed down due to component shortages and logistical difficulties, the first half of 2023 was supposed to be the time of recovery, but it was the opposite that happened, with sales almost stable while the market showed strong growth, resulting in an erosion of Citroën's market share.
However, all is not black and white for the brand, which has recorded very good sales, particularly of light commercial vehicles, Citroën's other strong pillar on which the brand intends to build in order to reach its target of 5% of the European market. The Berlingo has already made a name for itself in several countries, including France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Here is the balance by model:
- C3:
With more than 68,000 units sold, sales of the C3 were down by 6%, which is quite logical given that this is the last year of marketing. This decline is due to the fact that part of production was halted in April in order to prepare the Trnava plant for the next generation, but also to the age of the car, as well as to an engine range that does not include hybrid or electric versions, which reduces the C3's market share by around 30%.
- C3 Aircross:
The brand's urban SUV saw its sales fall by 6% in the first half of the year to just under 34,000 units due to logistical difficulties and the lack of electrified versions, particularly 100% electric, which are becoming increasingly important on the market. Although far behind the Renault Captur (77,634 units and +8%) and especially the Peugeot 2008 (83,993 units and +14%), the C3 Aircross fared better than its cousin the Opel Crossland, whose sales fell by 38% to 23,695 units.
- C4:
With sales down 6% to 32,500 units, the Citroën C4 performed poorly in the first half of the year, while the Peugeot 308 increased by 20% to 52,612 units, but the gap between the two has narrowed significantly. The Citroën C4 increased its sales by 13.5% compared to 2016, despite a declining market, while the Peugeot 308 saw its sales fall by 53.5% over the same period. The C4 manages to hold its own in a segment that is in sharp decline and where its competitors are collapsing.
- C4X:
Sales of the C4 X amounted to 4,883 units over the six-month period, or 15% of C4 sales, a figure which rose to 23% in June (1,419 units) and which should increase with the marketing of the heat engines, which are now available throughout Europe. It is therefore a very low level for the C4 X, but the demand is strong, except that it is for thermal and non-electric engines. The second half of the year should therefore be better.
- C5 Aircross:
With 30,599 units, the Citroën C5 Aircross is experiencing a resurgence in this first half, which must be compared to a much tighter first half of 2022 where it had accumulated production delays. However, compared to 2019, its first full year of commercialisation and the last before the Covid, the C5 Aircross is doing well with a decline of 13.09% when the market is down 25%.
The C5 Aircross takes advantage of its plug-in hybrid engines, which allow it to be the best-selling vehicle in this segment in France and 19th in Europe for the month of June. Faced with increased competition and in particular the arrival of the Renault Austral, the C5 Aircross is faltering, but its simple hybrid engine should allow it to recover its sales.
- C5X:
The brand's large sedan sold 8,369 units in the first half of the year, up significantly from 2022, but it only arrived in March. The C5 X should reach 15,000 units by the end of the year or even beyond. The C5 X is quite alone in its segment, as almost only German brands continue to offer it, the generalists having left it, with the exception of Skoda with the Superb, which sells three times more than the C5 X.
Finally, the C5 X holds its own against the Peugeot 408, which is built on the same platform and has sold more than 11,000 units, despite being manufactured in France.
- The Berlingo:
With just over 9,000 units sold in the first half of the year, the Berlingo is back in second place in its segment behind the VW Caddy with combustion engine (17,362 units + 14%). The Chevrolet MPV is ahead of the Peugeot Rifter (6,308 units +11%) and the Renault Kangoo (8,834 units +28%), which is an excellent performance given the situation.
The utility version of the Berlingo is also the best-selling model in its segment in the UK and Spain. The improvement in the supply situation should allow it to continue its good performance in the second half of the year.