INCHCAPE To Show Us How To Sell Citroens?

Yes, agree on the RAV4. Family member signed off on one end of July, still no promise of delivery this month.
 
For those following along at home:

Peugeot 2008 – 0
Peugeot 208 – 0
Peugeot 3008 – 80
Peugeot 308 – 14
Peugeot 5008 – 15
Peugeot 508 – 18
Peugeot Boxer – 0
Peugeot Expert – 12
Peugeot Partner – 24
Peugeot Total – 163

Citroen C3 – 5
Citroen C3 Aircross – 12
Citroen C5 Aircross – 8
Citroen Total – 25
 
MELso said:
Peugeot 2008 – 0
Peugeot 208 – 0
Peugeot 3008 – 80
Peugeot 308 – 14
Peugeot 5008 – 15
Peugeot 508 – 18
Peugeot Boxer – 0
Peugeot Expert – 12
Peugeot Partner – 24
Peugeot Total – 163

Citroen C3 – 5
Citroen C3 Aircross – 12
Citroen C5 Aircross – 8
Citroen Total – 25
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I purchased one of those 508s last month. It replaced my 2015 C5 X7.

The 3008 numbers are quite healthy!
 
Interesting realignment of market shares in a market decline of 21.8%. Some makes have fallen heavily, like Mitsubishi, Honda, Subaru and Nissan, Kia has picked up share at the cost of Hyundai, Ford actually increased sales, the German makes are travelling well and Skoda did brilliantly with a nearly 30% increase to sell at nearly four times the Peugeot figure, just below Renault numbers. All Chinese makes have recorded strong sales increases.
The Peugeot figures are near the bottom of European makes but above FIAT and Alfa Romeo. As Peugeot chose to increase Australian prices it is apparent they have abandoned any attempt to increase market share but are satisfied to be a niche supplier with sales figures of six decades ago. Inchcape is probably more concerned about the declining sales of their volume make Subaru. Citroen sales are tiny and are at the level of minor imports like Ferrari. It would be hard to make the wages of any Citroen division employee in Sydney.
The Australian market place may look quite different when this crisis is over.
 
Peugeot have an odd attitude towards their export markets. They abandoned the hard won East African market for years and then suddenly take an interest in Kenya again with an assembly plant. The Pacific doesn't get a mention in the last PSA strategic plan I saw.
 
pugtastic said:
I think Inchcape are committed to the Australian market, they recently opened a massive new showroom in Artarmon which used to be occupied by VW. Very friendly and helpful staff and a great collection of cars, and also a very reasonable price for a minor service job which I was going to get done elsewhere but actually ended up cheaper at the dealer. Sales may be down for now, but with the quality of their current line up (and new 208, 308 and hybrid 3008 on the way) now is the time to win back the customers. The line up is very strong, just need to get the people into showrooms, test driving and experiencing how great the cars are. I am disappointed at the changes/cuts to the 308 line, very odd and will not help sales but hopefully the new model isn't too far off. I was strongly considering a 308 GT but once the 33k driveaway offer ended and they shot back up in price I lost all interest, big shame that it didn't come with panoramic roof in our market too.
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This massive new showroom in Artarmon recently had Subaru signs installed ... and hardly a Peugeot is in sight.
There's one Peugeot sign left of the corner of the building.
 
Wow, that is not a good sign at all!! I have not been past in a while. Very very disappointing if that is the case, it was a great showcase for Peugeot on the highway.
 
Anyone know what is being built next to Jarvis Subaru on West Terrace in Adelaide, just before the Rydges Apartments? There used to be an old blue/grey building right next to the Jarvis Subaru showroom, it's been knocked down and currently there's building action on the site and it looks like another showroom. I doubt it would be an extension of the Subaru showroom, though you never know, but I was hoping it could be a new Citroen/Peugeot showroom? Even though Jarvis has the Citroen franchise (and Peugeot) here in Adelaide, Citroen has next to no market presence here anymore, since they took over the brand from Belcar. Now, whether that's the fault of Jarvis or Inchcape, you just have to shake your head in disbelief at how sad and sorry the whole situation has become.
 
So I received some information today from a pretty reliable source and an answer to my own question, it looks like the new building being built at the end of Jarvis Subaru on West Terrace here in Adelaide, is in fact the new Peugeot and Citroen showroom for Adelaide! What I find interesting, is that it's just a showroom site and no room for a yard and any yard stock. This brings me to another question, recently Honda and Mercedes-Benz have announced they're moving to an 'agency model', so basically using the dealerships as a shop front and using fixed pricing. Think an Apple store. Could PSA/Inchcape be moving in this direction? They've reduced their dealer network over the years, which is something Honda and Mercedes-Benz will be doing, along with model complexity.

Jarvis Skoda is also moving from Hillcrest to Trinity Gardens to the current Jarvis Ford site, while Jarvis Ford is moving to Gepps Cross.

If I hear anything else, I'll keep you guys posted.
 
With PSA operating at a reduced margin of 3.5% and looking under every pillow to find operating efficiencies to support a modest profit any promotions of their brands in Australia will likely be paid for from the Inchcape side of the operation. No doubt the cause of the price rise from France not currency fluctuations that are hedged for anyway.
Now their big seller Subaru is in a sales slide Inchcape may well be reconsidering the wisdom of reducing the PSA marketing presence in Australia and with it nearly halving sales in two years.
 
I read this article and think most of the comments are right if the company's want to sell cars do it themselves importers are always cheap skates
That's why Harley Davidson took over sales in Australia after100 years of letting importers do the job they wanted to make sales and they did
I'll still buy french cars they are the best value second hand cars you can buy it's a pity whoever buys them new gets caned on resale but if you own it long enough resale become a moot point in my Opinion
 
iLaguna said:
question, it looks like the new building being built at the end of Jarvis Subaru on West Terrace here in Adelaide, is in fact the new Peugeot and Citroen showroom for Adelaide! What I find interesting, is that it's just a showroom site and no room for a yard and any yard stock. This brings me to another question, recently Honda and Mercedes-Benz have announced they're moving to an 'agency model', so basically using the dealerships as a shop front and using fixed pricing. Think an Apple store. Could PSA/Inchcape be moving in this direction?
Click to expand...

They certainly have moved in that direction slightly even in established markets like the UK. Citroen recently launched end to end “buy online” schemes in France and the UK.

https://www.am-online.com/news/manu...ially-launches-online-new-car-sales-in-the-uk

It will be a long time coming, but I think over the next five years a LOT of car manufacturers will be investigating these sort of models, and moving to cut out the dealer so to speak. Dealers and showrooms (and lets face it, servicing departments) will still be needed - but more showroom, less dealer, as it were.

I don’t know what Citroën intend in Aus.

The Inchcape language initially after takeover was about fewer dealerships and increasing sales. Only one of those things has happened. But there are umpteen arguments to make about sales which give Inchcape some excuse - generally declining sales market, holding out for the C5 as their flagship “relaunch” model but C5s being delayed for ages due to stink bugs and other issues around environmental ratification etc; and then of course WHATEVER the plan may have been, and how successful or unsuccessful it may have been, COVID has thrown a complete spanner in the works.

One thing of small comfort - Citroën have survived for a very long time in this market with very very low sales. They operate as a nieche product and do so presumably with some success (or some other metric of value) otherwise they would have left a long time ago.

When you look at the sales figures for the past few years, sales have actually remained reasonably constant. Low - that 20-25 cars a month figure. Months that have higher figures include many Berlingos. Citroen no longer sell Berlingos in Oz, and if you go back a little historically and discount the Berlingo sales,the “car” sales figures look more stable. Low, consistently low, but consistent.

I would love people to buy more Citroëns in Aus as they are a good product, underrated in this country. However, given I’m probably the only registered (new model) C3 in South Australia - isn’t that part of the appeal? Driving something no-one else does?
 
That works when there aren't too many changes to the UK models but the danger comes when some smart young executive in Paris looks at the figures and says why bother. But yes, Citroens have always appealed to the person who liked having the only car of the make in the district.
 
Drove past North Shore Peugeot yesterday and yes it looks like they are rebranding to Subaru. They still have quite a few Peugeot's in the showroom, but the only Peugeot branding is the sticker on the window facing out to the highway "Peugeot North Shore Now Open". I wonder what will happen, I think having all 3 makes in the one showroom is not such a bad idea but why are they removing the Peugeot/Citroen branding. There are not enough Peugeot dealers around and this was the best i've been too. The old location was a horror.
 
Ha ha... yes, the C5 Aircross was meant to be the big re-launch model.

From what I've heard, Kate Gillis is astute and a good operator so fingers crossed that PCA are able to start rebuilding Citroen sales. The only way is up from where they are now!

I hope the "change in specification" comment means that they will up-spec the models. There's nothing to be gained by going lower spec in my view. So many competing models offer a lot of tech as standard.

I like the look of the new C4 from the front. It looks quite sporty. I agree that rear looks a bit Toyota/Honda from some angles.
 
Good. That’s a relief. See, I didn’t think it was all over...

The facelift to the C3 is excellent (now I already want a new one.)

But the C4 is the one that interests me. Great looking car (i see what the above posted says about CH-R vibes, but I don’t think they look alike. There’s an element of the design language that looks similar, but this looks far more attractive than any of those Toyota lego cars, which I just can’t stand, particularly people that choose to buy them in yellow....

Is there any way they can position themselves as a serious, well priced electric alternative to Tesla (obviously everyone is an alternative to Tesla), or to Leaf? As ever, with the right pricing....

There’s some big holes in the electric car market in Australia, and an opportunity there.

With the “comfortable” suspension, their very successful comfortable seats, an electric ride here could be a real comfort selling point. I’d like to see how that drives and what it feels like.
 
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