Citroen plans expansion in South Africa, but the Basalt won't be on the roads just yet

Citroen is looking to expand their footprint in South Africa and in so doing hoping to get more bums on seats in the iconic French marque.

“South Africa is an important market for us,” said Citroen Global CEO Thierry Koskas.

Citroen falls under the Stellantis portfolio which in South Africa also includes  Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Opel, Peugeot and Abarth.

Locally Citroen sells the C3 1.2 Plus, C3 1.2 Max, C3 Aircross 1.2 Plus, C3 1.2T Max, C3 Aircross and the C3 Aircross 1.2 Max 7-seater.

Pricing

Pricing ranges from R249, 900 to R371, 900.

“In terms of pricing we are well placed compared to the competition.

“The majority of our sales are stable and in Europe, but we are trying to grow outside Europe with a few key operations in South America, India and South Africa because it’s one of the biggest markets and a promising one for us,” he said.

Koskas agrees that there are not as many Citroens on the road as he would like.

“I think we didn’t have the appropriate products that enabled the brand to grow. I think the gamechangers we have now are great products including the Indian built C3 that fits the local market.

Last month Citroen sold 36 C3 Aircross models and 223 C3s with143 further units across the rest of the group’s offering.

Local market

“South Africa is very much a B segment market, B hatch and B SUV so this is where we need to be with the C3 and Aircross and hopefully other products soon,” he hinted.

“I really hope that when you see more Citroens on the road, people will recognise the brand and consider it, thanks to the new products

“I think that within the Stellantis Group, Citroen has a key role to play because we have the right product, not coming from Europe because we know it will be expensive and difficult to sell so I believe we now have the right business model.”

In the Indian and South American market Citroen has the SUV Coupe Basalt, but Koskas wouldn’t be drawn out on whether it would be launched locally.

“If there is a possibility, we will, it would be an interesting addition to the line-up,” was all he was prepared to say.

More dealers

They are also looking at expanding their dealer network, currently standing at 36.

“We need more to cover the vast area of South Africa and it’s important that we reassure customers that there won’t be any problem to service or repair their cars.

“In big cities you can’t expect people to travel hours to a dealership,” he said.

According to Charl Timms, commercial director for Stellantis SA, accessibility and convenience is key.

“You get something called customer fatigue. If you’re living in the north of Pretoria, you’re not going to be happy if you have to travel to a dealership in the east.

“If you take rural areas into consideration, people will buy the car in Bloemfontein but they want to know whether they can service their car closer to home.

“Obviously it needs to make financial sense but you need to focus on the growth points and the open points which we haven't closed yet, but we’re busy with it at the moment,” he said.