In 2013, the worldwide automobile market showed decidedly mixed trends, with demand continuing to contract in 30-country Europe (down 1.6%) and Russia (down 5.4%), while expanding in China (up 19.1%) and Latin America (up 2.9%).
In this environment, PSA Peugeot Citron recorded worldwide sales of 2,819,000 units (assembled vehicles and CKD units), down 4.9% in 2012. Assembled vehicle sales held firm, contracting by just 0.1% to 2,818,000 units, with the fourth quarter seeing growth of 4%.
Further decline in the European market
In 30-country Europe, the market declined by 1.6% on the back of an 8.6% fall in 2012.
Only a handful of markets grew during the year, such as the United Kingdom and Spain, which were up by 11% and 4.1% respectively.
However, these recovering markets were still far below their 2007 levels. Registrations in Spain, for example, increased by 809,000 units in 2013, compared with 1,892,000 in 2007.
Registrations fell 5.5% in France and 7.6% in Italy to 1,404,000 units - the lowest since 1979 - compared with 2,739,000 in 2007.
The Group retained its leadership position in the European light commercial vehicle market, with 304,000 registrations and a market share of 20.7%, virtually unchanged from 2012.
In this environment, the Group focused on the most profitable distribution channels and its share of the 30-country Europe market ended the year at 11.94% versus 12.7% in 2012.
Continued progress in the globalisation strategy
The globalisation strategy is continuing to produce results, as evidenced by the steep rise in the number of vehicles sold outside Europe since 2009. With markets outside Europe accounting for 42% of total sales in 2013, the Group is on track to meet its target of generating 50% of sales in these markets by 2015.
Very fast growth in China
In a Chinese market up 19.1% in 2013, the Group increased its sales by 26.1% to 557,000 units from 442,000 in 2012, giving it a 3.64% market share. China is PSA Peugeot Citron's second largest market, after France.
Sales of Peugeots rose 25.8% to 272,000 units compared with 216,000 in 2012, while sales of Citrons were 26.3% higher at 285,000 units versus 226,000 the previous year.
The Peugeot 3008, the Citron C4L introduced at the start of the year and the Peugeot 301 and the Citron C-Elysée brought to market in the second half also made a strong contribution to the Group's sales growth in China.
This growth is expected to continue in 2014, led by the nationwide expansion of the dealer network and the broader model line-up.
The middle classes, who are the Group's prime target, currently represent 25% of the Chinese population, but their numbers should swell in the coming years to an estimated 40% of the population by 2020. To keep pace with the growth in demand, the Group plans to raise production capacity to 950,000 vehicles a year at its plants in Shenzhen (200,000 units for CAPSA) and Wuhan (750,000 units for DPCA). Construction of a fourth plant by DPCA is also under consideration.
A persistently mixed situation in Latin America
The Latin American market (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico) expanded by 2.9% overall in 2013, to 5,937,000 units. However, the situation varied significantly from one country to the next.
The Brazilian market contracted by 1.5%, the first decline in ten years. Demand softened even though the government maintained throughout the year the reduction in the IPI1 tax introduced in 2012 and carmakers engaged in aggressive promotional activity, particularly in the second half. Moreover, in Latin America as a whole, regional exchange rates against the euro moved very unfavourably and weighed heavily on the Group's financial performance. This currency effect was exacerbated by the low local content of the Group's operations in the region.
In this environment, PSA Peugeot Citron sales in Latin America rose by 7% to 303,000 units, representing a 4.9% market share. Sales continued to climb rapidly in Argentina, up 25.5% to 140,100 units, lifted by the successful launch of the Peugeot 208 and Citron C4 Lounge, which have already exceeded their first-year sales targets. Group registrations also rose steeply in Chile (up 31.5%) and Mexico (up 33.4%), far outstripping the market growth rates of 10.3% and 7.9% respectively.
Sharply narrower automotive market in Russia
In a slowing Russian economy, the automotive market contracted by 5.4% in 2013. The Group's share of the market narrowed by 0.3 points to 2.3%.
In 2013, Peugeot and Citron expanded their offer by introducing three new models aligned with local demand, the Peugeot 301 and 208 and the Citron C-Elysée. In addition, the month of June saw the launch of the Citron C4 Sedan manufactured locally at the Kaluga plant. Together, these models will help the Group to expand its presence in the Russian market in 2014.
Rest of the world
Lifted by the success of the Peugeot 301 and the Citron C4L and C-Elysée, Group sales also increased in other markets, led by Algeria (up 6.9%) and Turkey (up 7.6%).
Sales of premium models up on 2012
The Group's upmarket strategy is backed by strong brands catering to clearly differentiated customer territories.
The strategy has led to an increase in sales of premium2 models, from 505,000 units in 2012 to 540,000 last year, representing 19% of total unit sales.
Diesel hybrids equipped with HYbrid4 technology have contributed to moving the ranges up market. In Europe, these models account for 11% of Peugeot 3008 sales, 16% of Peugeot 508 sales and 34% of Citron DS5 sales.
In all, the Group sold 24,319 diesel hybrids in 2013, ranking second in this market segment in Europe in terms of volumes.
Successful model launches
2013 saw the successful launch of several new models.
The Peugeot 2008 urban crossover introduced last spring and the new Peugeot 308 surpassed first-year sales estimates, with 82,000 and 34,000 orders respectively, while at Citron, the 58,000 orders taken for the new C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso helped to revitalize the brand's sales.
PSA Peugeot Citron leads in reducing CO2 emissions and exceeds European requirements
The Group is continuing to reduce its vehicles' carbon emissions, maintaining its position as one of the European leaders in this area. With average corporate emissions of 116.2 g/km 3 of CO2 versus 122.4 g/km in 2012, it has already exceeded the target of 130 g/km set by Brussels for 2015.
55.3% of Group vehicles sold in Europe in 2013 emit less than 111 g/km of CO2, versus 39.1% in 2012.
