CITROEN CHAMPIONS ALL THE WAY
03 November 2005 - Citroën UK Ltd

Citroen are currently feeling on top of the world.

Having just wrapped up the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World Rally Championship, the Junior World Rally Championship and received numerous awards for their dancing robot advertising theme and environmental and safety accolades for their products,
They also consider themselves to be champions at campaigning their cause as the ‘value for money brand’. A raft of incentives to-buy are traditionally wheeled out for each sales quarter in the UK – promoting everything from VAT free models to cash-back offers. These have proved to be vitally important features to promote sales in a depressed retail new car market.

Two-thirds of Citroen’s customers are conquest sales so more and more people it seems are moving to the Citroen brand from other makes of vehicles.

Motivating new customers to buy Citroen products with value for money offers and by using by using innovative advertising is paying off. A new innovative 70’s theme of The Fonz (Fonzie) and the Happy Days characters is currently being used to advertise the introduction of the revised C3 range.

But it’s not just in the UK that Citroen is holding its own in a reducing new car market, they have recorded world record sales as well.

It is not just price alone that has raised the profile of Citroen. Safety, security and the environmentally friendly credentials of their products have played important parts in selling more cars. Keeping the products fresh, as well as low priced, are key factors for Citroen who have introduced five distinctive new models in the last three years say Citroen.

In a recent survey by Citroen in the UK of a 1,000 customers, 69 per cent of buyers said they had bought their vehicles because of the fuel economy potential of the latest products.

The Citroen C1 range, part of the trilogy of the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 107 city cars, now has a frugal 1.4-litre HDi 55hp diesel engine added to its line-up and this will enable this five door model to return around 80mpg. But there is a big ‘BUT’. Customers will pay a £1,100 premium for the diesel engine over the same model with a very fuel-efficient, 3-cylinder, 1.0-litre petrol engine that is also capable of recording 60 plus mpg. The benefit of going diesel for this model is not so much the fuel savings, because you can by lots of petrol for the extra cost of £1,100. The real benefit is more torque giving better driveability and engine response. The diesel model has a group 2E insurance rating over the 1E for all three and five door petrol models.

For sure the driveability is better with a diesel engine but for a city car where a high annual mileage is not likely to be the case, petrol power in this case makes more financial sense. The C1 range starts at £6,495 and rises to £8,475 for the new diesel variant.

The C2 is a three-door, sporty looking super-mini which traditionally attracts young first time buyers due to its low pricing, good fuel economy and an insurance rating which starts at 1E.
The latest changes include an upgraded interior, a sporty instrument display and improvements to the optional semi automatic SensoDrive transmission. A CD player is now standard across the range. The 1.4HDi diesel models will return 66mpg with low 113 g/km emissions. There are also 1.1, 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engine options, all very fuel-efficient as well. Prices range from £8,095 up to £12,095 with diesel models starting at £9,295. As a first car the C2 takes some beating.

The C3 supermini 5-door range has the most significant changes including the addition of a new 1.6-litre HDi, 110bhp diesel engine capable of returning 63mpg. This engine has a diesel particulate system so emissions are really low. Another new model added to the C3 range is a 1.6i petrol unit that has the option of a SensoDrive auto transmission. Other changes include a new front-end exterior design with new wheel trims and lighting. The interior has been refreshed as well with new door panels and facia. Under the skin the suspension has been tuned for a better ride, the steering gives better feel and the car has been reinforced to provide better crash protection.

There are 1.1, 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engines plus 1.4 and 1.6-litre diesel units to choose from at prices ranging from £9,195 up to £13,295. The low buying cost, good performance potential with low insurance levels makes this an attractive proposition for those customers down-sizing into a smaller car or requiring a second car. The 1.4 petrol model is also available with Citroen’s innovative fuel saving Stop/Start system.

The C3 is really is a good example of what Citroen does best, value for money. Although the rounded conservative styling does it no favours, it can easily get overlooked in the car park. It is functional and affordable and that is what most people want these days.

Having briefly driven the new 1.6HDi VTR, 110bhp diesel model priced at a range topping £13,295, for customers who want a smallish car with versatility of passenger and load carrying combinations, the five door layout is great. The new diesel unit gives the car some real get up and go and it is nice to drive thanks to the diesel flexibility in town. It is a bit rock and roll and bouncy on country roads but it does the job. During my nip around the Cotswold lanes last week, with two of us in the car, the C3 produced an impressive fuel consumption figure of 51mpg, and we were not dawdling along. Pound for pound it is a sensible buy.

The Citroen C3 Pluriel, the strange model that moves from a three-door coupe to a convertible with a removable roof section, is also refreshed and prices start at £12,395.

The medium sized C4 family hatchback and coupe range, Focus and Astra in size, is one of my favourite Citroens. These too have updates for the twenty-two variants with a choice of seven engine options. Prices range from £11,095 to £18,095.

But we are not finished yet because the Citroen C5 upper medium sector five-door and estate models priced from £15,195, the Berlingo Multispace boxy people carrier priced from £10,115, the very popular Picasso MPV priced from £13,595 and the large C8 people carrier costing from £19,295 have all had specification makeovers to keep them fresh in an increasingly competitive market.

Early next year we get the new flagship of the range, the executive C6. This is a really elegant five-door executive car with loads of new styling features, luxurious interior with lots of technology, including a ‘head-up’ instrument display. This car will sell in hundreds in the UK, not thousands say Citroen. No prices are forthcoming yet but for sure it will undercut the competition in typical Citroen style.

From: Miles Better News Agency

www.citroen.co.uk

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