Citroen EXITS Australia After Selling Fewer Cars Than Even Ferrari

Citroen, a well-known French car brand, has decided to stop selling its vehicles in Australia. The company’s distributor in Australia, Inchcape, made this announcement, saying that new orders for Citroen cars will no longer be accepted starting from November 1, 2024. This decision comes after a significant drop in sales, which is part of a larger trend affecting Citroen and its parent company, Stellantis, in many parts of the world.

Once all pending orders are delivered, Citroen will only offer service and maintenance to its existing customers in Australia. The company currently operates 35 service centers across the country, so support will still be available for those who own Citroen vehicles.

Citroen’s current lineup in Australia includes three models: the C4 hatchback, the C5 Aircross, and the C5 X. Unfortunately, the company never introduced its newer models like the C3, C3 Aircross, and eC3 to the Australian market.

According to reports, Citroen sold only 87 cars in Australia this year, which is even fewer than the sales of luxury brands like Ferrari (138 cars sold), Aston Martin (96 cars sold), Bentley (123 cars sold), and Lamborghini (161 cars sold).

Globally, Citroen has a wide range of vehicles, with different models available in various regions. In Europe, the company offers a broad selection of cars and commercial vehicles. In emerging markets, Citroen is focusing on compact cars and SUVs built on the Stellantis CMP platform. This platform is also used by Peugeot and will be the foundation for future Fiat models like the Panda.

While Citroen is struggling in many markets, it has ambitious goals for India. The company hopes to make India its second-largest market after France within the next five years. Citroen has localized its CMP platform for India and plans to sell and export multiple models from there. The company’s goal is to sell 100,000 cars annually in India within five years.

Currently, Citroen’s sales in India are mainly driven by exports. The company sold about 17,000 units combined over the last three financial years (FY22, FY23, and FY24), with around 5,100 units sold each year. Of these, approximately 5,000 cars were exported to countries like Indonesia and South Africa.

There is growing demand for Citroen’s Indian-made vehicles, especially the C3 Aircross SUV. In the first three months of FY2025, Citroen exported 1,388 units from India, surpassing domestic sales by 130 units. The company’s export numbers represent a 97% increase compared to the same period last year.

Most of these exports were C3 Aircross SUVs, which accounted for 73% of Citroen’s total exports from India during this time. The C3 Aircross has been more successful internationally than in the Indian market. This trend highlights the importance of exports to Citroen’s overall strategy as the company continues to find its footing in different regions around the world.

Citroen just launched the Basalt SUV coupe in India week ago. The automaker hopes to double its sales with the keenly priced Basalt. The Basalt is India’s most affordable SUV coupe, with a starting price of just Rs. 7.99 lakh. Citroen announced prices of the entire Basalt line-up last week. Click here to check the prices out.