A Citroen a quarter

THIS month’s Australian release of the new C5 range marks the first instalment of a fresh wave of new model activity from Citroen, which will launch a new or facelifted model every quarter for the next 12 months.

The all-new Berlingo small commercial van will be the next cab off Citroen’s new model rank when it arrives here in the fourth quarter of this year.

Initially available as a diesel only, with a petrol variant to follow, the new Berlingo will come in both short- and long-wheelbase body styles and will be sold alongside the smaller existing Berlingo until around mid-2009.

It will be followed by Citroen’s facelifted C4 hatch range, which will land here with a new-look grille and a new range of petrol engines in January 2009. Both the current Berlingo and C4 are now in run-out sales mode ahead of the arrival of their replacements.

Citroen believes its bigger new Berlingo has paved the way for a commercial van sub-segment in Australia, where the brand-new Nemo entry-level van will go on sale in the third quarter of next year.

Left: Facelifted C4.

Before then, however, mid-2009 is the earliest opportunity for Citroen Australia to import the promising new C-Crosser compact SUV, which is built in Europe by Mitsubishi and based on the Outlander.

Citroen management told GoAuto last week that local sales and pricing were still under negotiation, but there is currently no definitive local launch date set for the first compact SUV to emerge from the French maker.

The company expects to sell 400 examples of the new C5 Tourer and sedan in Australia this year and a further 1100 in 2009, when Citroen’s second-generation C5 Tourer and sedan line-up it is expected to contribute significantly to a record total forecast of 4000 sales for the brand.

That is up significantly from the 3000 forecast for this year and a high of 3803, recorded in last year’s boom market. Citroen claims its 2008 sales downturn is due mainly to the fact two of its core models have been in run-out, including the C4 and C5.

The new C5 will be supported by a full advertising campaign, including the return of the brand to the small screen, on which the C5 will be advertised as “Europe’s new superpower”, plus radio and print advertising from last Saturday (September 6).

Citroen will also use the internet and a direct mail campaign to target customers of premium European brands including Audi and Volvo with the C5. It hopes company car business, including novated lessees and “user-choosers”, will account for up to 30 per cent of sales – double the original C5.

Under importer Ateco Automotive, Citroen currently has 30 dealers in Australia and five in New Zealand, which came under Ateco’s umbrella 18 months ago and where two new outlets will soon be appointed.

Citroen Australia’s top-selling dealer is Zagames of Brighton and its next dealer expansion occurs in Wagga (NSW) – where a former Ford outlet will be shared with a SsangYong franchise from November – and Logan City near Springwood (Queensland) from March 2009, bringing its dealer count to 32.

Citroen Australia general manager Miles Williams said that even at 4000 annual sales, the brand has roughly the right number of dealers, distributed across a national retail network that is no longer represented only in the major metropolitan centres.

“The total number (of dealers) depends on sales volume, but we want quality not quality and we have worked to improve our provincial representation,” he told GoAuto. “We are not aggressively looking, but where a dealership is willing and able we will look at it. We don’t want to put the sign up then take it down again. It needs to be permanent.”

What's coming from Citroen:
New Berlingo	Fourth quarter
Facelifted C4	January 2009
C-Crosser SUV	Mid-2009
Nemo van	Third quarter 2009

Read more:

First look: Hypnos heralds Citroen’s diesel-hybrid

First drive: High-fives as Citroen's new C5 arrives