CITROËN AUSTRALIA
Press Release

CITROEN SETS A NEW SALES RECORD FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

• Global sales up 13.2 per cent
• Citroen Xsara sales up 50 per cent
• Berlingo sales up 27 per cent

Citroën broke its sales record for the fourth consecutive year in 2000 with total sales of 1,140,000 cars, an increase of 133,000 units, or 13.2 per cent, over 1999, itself a record year for Citroen.

Of these sales, 30 per cent were in France and 70 per cent of all Citroens produced were exported. The four most popular models were the Xsara, with 451,000 units sold (up 50 per cent); the Saxo, with 290,000 units sold (an increase of three per cent); the Picasso mini people mover sold 183,000 units and the Berlingo, with 167,000 units sold saw a 27 per cent increase in its sales.

2000: an eventful year for Citroen
Several major construction projects were completed in 2000, such as Citroën Sport's new site in Versailles, the Heritage Centre in Aulnay and the new head office at one of Citroën's historic industrial sites in Paris.

2000 was also a good year for innovation. Citroën unveiled new developments in-car information technology, with the Xsara Windows CE; in multiplexing, which has paved the way for new functions on the Xsara, Berlingo and C5 and in suspension, with the Hydractive 3 suspension system, and in automotive architecture, with the C5.

Citroen showed its determination to continue improving the products and services that it delivered to customers by becoming the first carmaker to have all its activities certified for Version 2000 of the Iso 9001 standard of customer quality service.

2000: an excellent year for sales
After several years of continuous growth, and despite a slight dip in 2000, the European market levelled off at a high level - the second-highest in volume terms over the last ten years. Against this backdrop, Citroën turned in a strong performance, selling 98,000 additional units in Western Europe and growing sales by 11 per cent at a time when the market fell by 1 per cent. Sales outside Western Europe increased by 35,000 vehicles, or 29 per cent, on markets that showed contrasting trends.

Two reasons for this success...

Citroen products
2000 was the year of the Xsara. The Xsara Picasso turned in a star performance - not only was it a huge commercial success, but it also made a powerful impact in image terms, with a knock-on effect for the entire Citroën brand. The new Xsara saloon and estate unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, and especially the 1.6i 16V 110 bhp petrol engine, got a warm reception from customers, with registrations climbing in the final months of the year.

Sales of the Saxo, restyled at the end of 1999, rose throughout the year. As did sales of the Berlingo, available with an HDi engine from the start of 2000 and which received a new 1.6i 110 bhp petrol engine at the end of the year. The interior layout of the new "Modutop" roof further reinforced the Berlingo's image as a vehicle offering practical and multi-purpose innovation.

Sales of the Xantia slowed when the new Citroën C5 was presented at the Paris Motor Show. However, they took off again in late 2000, showing that customers welcomed the complementary offering of these two products in the M2 segment.

Demand for diesel vehicles continued to rise. In Europe as a whole, at end-October, the market for diesel passenger cars had risen by 13 per cent on a market down two per cent. In some countries, the increase was particularly strong: 21 per cent in Italy, for instance, and 20 per cent in Germany (where the market for petrol vehicles was down 20 per ent). The growing availability of HDi engines is making it possible to deliver a better response to customers' enthusiasm for this kind of engine.

The Citroen sales network
Citroën successfully pursued two priorities in 2000.

The first of these was the ongoing adaptation of service products to the new needs of customers. Whereas one vehicle in every four used to be sold with a service contract, this ratio is now approaching one in three in France, mainly thanks to the success of the subscription-based "service included" contract.

The second priority was to further raise the quality standards of the service delivered by Citroen and its network. As part of this effort, Citroen became the first carmaker to have all our activities certified for the Version 2000 of the Iso 9001 standard. All our European subsidiaries are certified, and almost 50 per cent of sales distributed in Europe are handled by certified sales outlets.

These efforts have yielded tangible results. Customer satisfaction with the network has continued to increase, as has the share of the after-sales market for the Citroën park.

CITROËN IN EUROPE:
Strong growth in all markets

Estimate 17 countries	1999	2000	00/99
PC + LCV market	16,885,100	16,666,200	-1%
Citroen volumes	881,000	969,900	+10%
Market share	5.2	5.8
PC market	15,056,200	14,741,200	-2%
Citroen volumes	708,100	772,800	+9%
Market Share	4.7	5.2
LCV market	1,828,900	1,925,000	+5%
Citroen volumes	172,900	196,300	+14%
Market Share	9.5	10.2

Citroën improved its passenger and light commercial vehicle positions throughout Europe, except in Finland and Sweden, where sales followed market trends.

In the major European countries:

• In France after a promising first four months, the market was disrupted by the decision to bring the model year into line with the calendar year, by fuel price movements and by the fact that customers were waiting for models scheduled for release in early 2001.
  
  While the market remained stable, Citroën posted the biggest increase of all the major marques, with a rise of almost 34,000 cars year-on-year. This performance earned it a 13.3 per cent share of the total market. We consolidated our number-two ranking on the commercial vehicles market, with penetration of 18.6 per cent.
  
  On the passenger car market, diesel cars grew sales by 10.4 per cent and the percentage of diesel-powered vehicles on the market reached 49 per cent. Citroën reported a 16.4 per cent increase on the diesel market and a 5.8 per cent increase on the petrol market (compared with the market's 8.8 per cent fall).
  
  The Xsara Picasso has given Citroën access to a younger, more family-focused customer base.
  

• In Spain the PC + LCV market contracted 2 per cent, but Citroën set a new sales record, with 207,000 registrations. Citroen is now second in the market and the Xsara is the biggest selling model. Citroën leads the diesel market, as well as the CV market, where the Berlingo ranks number-one.
  
• In the UK after months of flat growth, the market for passenger cars again started heading upwards as the commercial war between carmakers hotted up. Citroën delivered 103,000 vehicles and grew 19 per cent on a market that expanded just 1 per cent. And Citroën sales literally exploded in the second half after the Xsara Picasso's launch. The success of the Berlingo and the Saxo, especially the sports versions, made Citroën the marque of the moment.
  
• In Italy Citroen's market share grew from 2.8 per cent to 3.2 per cent despite the release of new high-volume locally made cars. Citroën registered more than 83,000 vehicles, and grew sales by 17 per cent on a market that expanded by 4 per cent.
  
• In Germany Citroën PC + LCV registrations climbed 9 per cent, and penetration increased from 1.3 per cent to 1.6 per cent, while the market contracted by more than 10 per cent. Volumes were up from 51,600 to 56,300 vehicles.
  
• In Belgium Citroën grew almost 18 per cent on a market that increased by 4.5 per cent. The Marque has also led the commercial vehicle market for the past four years, with 14.8 per cent market share.

CITROËN EXPANDS AROUND THE WORLD

Citroen deliveries to customers worldwide rose to 157,000 vehicles - up 29 per cent on 1999.

• In Latin America, the market grew by 8 per cent. Citroën's deliveries rose 28 per cent. The two main markets of the region showed contrasting trends, with Brazil expanding by over 16 per cent and Argentina losing 18 per cent. Citroën grew 26 per cent in Brazil, with sales rising from 7,000 to more than 9,100 vehicles. In Argentina, the Marque grew by 37 per cent, posting an increase of more than 1,200 vehicles. It was in Uruguay, however, that we achieved our highest penetration rate: 8.5 per cent of the market.
• In Central and Eastern Europe, the market trended downwards, contracting by 14 per cent. Our market share rose from 2.7 per cent to 3.4 per cent. In Turkey, where the market soared by 62 per cent, Citroën more than tripled its volumes and doubled penetration as vehicle sales climbed from 3,400 to over 8,800.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the market in China expanded slightly (2 per cent). Citroën grew 17 per cent and registered more than 52,000 vehicles in China, for market share of 9per cent.

Also in 2000, we started assembling Berlingos in Russia and, most recently, Xantias in Iran.

Motorsport Success

Philippe Bugalski won his third successive title in the French rally championship at the wheel of his Xsara T4, while Jesús Puras drove his Xsara Kit Car to a fifth win in the Spanish rally championship.

Citroën took the constructors' title in the European rally championship and Bruno Thiry won the European drivers' cup.

In Hungary and Portugal, the Saxo Kit Car led Citroën's teams to victory in its category in the respective national rally championships.

Kenneth Hansen won his eighth European rallycross title with a Xsara Type WRC. Pierre Llorach and his Saxo Kit Car secured a second consecutive title in the touring category of division 2 of the French championship. Laurent Terroitin won division 1 of the French championship with a Xsara Type WRC. Sébastien Loeb and his Saxo Kit Car won the 2-wheel drive category of the French dirt-track rally championship

Citroën Xsara Picasso goes to China

Following its highly successful launch in Europe, the Citroën Xsara Picasso is to go on sale in China with production is scheduled to start in the second half of 2001.

The Xsara Picasso has enjoyed strong sales during its first year on the market, with 150,000 units sold across Europe. In the light of this success, Citroën took the decision to sell its compact MPV in South America as well as China.

Citroën has identified a potential market for this type of vehicle in China, following customer tests in Beijing and Canton in early 2000, and a vehicle presentation at the Beijing Motor Show in June. The Citroën Picasso is perceived as modern and dynamic - two qualities that are particularly appreciated by private customers. These consumers currently account for one-third of new vehicle sales and make up the fastest growing segment of the overall customer base.

Production is scheduled to start at the DCAC* plant in Wuhan during the second half of 2001 for an output this year of 2,000 units. Production capacity will be increased from next year, in line with demand, and could total 10,000 vehicles annually.

Citroën sold 52,000 vehicles in China in 2000, acquiring market share of almost 9 per cent and Citroën grew sales by 17 per cent in a market that increased 4 per cent.

For further information please
e-Mail Miles Williams - General Manager on
100250.3324@compuserve.com

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