They have stock of the 2008 brought in late in the year and they would like to move them before Easter. Quite attractive little cars, but they need to advertise them well and not scare the buyers with pricing.
INCHCAPE To Show Us How To Sell Citroens?
- Thread starter Greg
- Start date
I bought a second hand 2008 for my sons to drive in Canberra (and for me to use as I am often there for work). Not a bad little car. I don’t know why the distributor doesn’t seem to see a growth market for the French brands here. I would have thought they would stack up in a relatively sophisticated and wealthy market, that is (now) imports only.
RHD and an overcrowded market - why should they bother?
Perhaps because Australia is a stable and prosperous country unlike the places the French makers seem to see growth potential in at the moment. Our Prime Minister does not tell people to boycott French products and encourage anti- French protests in the streets (Turkey), French marines are not required to ensure the safety of any plant built here (Morocco) and France is not involved in a sanctions war with us that puts French investments on the edge of being lost (Russia). Just boring old good business opportunities bringing sound returns to any company that has the product to sell and the staff who can be bothered.
Perhaps emerging economies offer better entry possibilities than mature ones with existing players having controlling market shares and price control. Then again labour costs and costs of employment give better profit opportunities in poorer countries. We can't build cars here in economic volume without unrealistic government subsidies i.e. the taxpayers buying jobs.
Citroen is now the second lowest selling make in Australia, only Rolls Royce to beat now. A 75% sales fall to six units. Peugeot a 37.48% fall to 117.
It is quite possible that our French manufacturers are missing out on sales simply because they do not have crew cab 4X4 utes in their ranges. These are currently the only vehicles selling in numbers in Australia, their sales spurred on by the imagination of their purchasers, who see themselves doing the Canning Stock Route, the Gunbarrel Highway and the Telegraph Track all during their period of ownership. That 98% of them never stray from the bitumen is probably why people keep buying the useless pieces of crap!
The comparison should be made with Skoda who have increased sales by 41% to occupy the sales slots once held by the French makes.
A range of cars with pissy 1.2 & 1.6 litre engines surprises me they’ve sold that many! You mention Skoda Russell, they have some ballbusting combinations including AWD variants. Why would anyone look at overpriced, underwhelming French cars with reliability baggage?
The answer is, that Skoda, (which is after all, just Volkswagen) have not capitulated under the stress of COViD-19 and an underwhelming marketing effort. When I recall that Skoda 1100's were the poor, unloved, and desperately cheap progeny of a marriage between La Belle France and the People's Republic I am amazed that the name can still sell cars to people who were not subjects of the Soviet Union.
You obviously rely on revs to deliver the power you need. That is so 20th Century. Modern cars have engines that produce prodigious horse power due to a thing called efficiency, a quantity that does not need it's arse wrung out at 10,000 RPM when a turbocompumpenstuffer can produce the same horsepower and torque at half the revs in a bulletproof long lived engine!
S
A car like the 508 is attractive but suffers from only having a 1.6 litre engine in comparative tests. Some people find the small high stressed engines satisfactory but most buyers don't as the sales figures indicate. Do a comparison and see what else is available for that money.
The Czechs are good engineers. Skoda were well solid well made cars that earned a better reputation than Renaults in the Round Australia trials. Tubman drove them. They motorised Eastern Europe and had a good reputation. They were under capitalized and made a basic error along with others in predicting the future of the small car to be rear engined.
A car like the 508 is attractive but suffers from only having a 1.6 litre engine in comparative tests. Some people find the small high stressed engines satisfactory but most buyers don't as the sales figures indicate. Do a comparison and see what else is available for that money.
There was a Skoda dealer based somewhere on the Dandenong - Frankston Road back in the sixties who sold a couple, they were cheap. We had enough Renault owners in Dandenong to start our own club which grew very quickly to over 160 members but I have never seen that many Skoda's of that vintage in the area (or anywhere else) to this day. I might also suggest our 2017 Megane Zen Sedan doesn't sound or feel stressed whether it's in peak hour traffic or travelling at high speed on the open road. It is 1.2 l, turbocharged with a 7 speed Getrag dual clutch box. Brilliant!
Getting back to the sales figures it's not only that the figures for PSA sales are low but that the percentage decline is severe and continuing. Presumably new stock will arrive at some point and be promoted but any dealership without another brand to sell must be having a lean time. In this scenario it's an odd strategy to be raising prices.
I have to say that the 508 with its 1.6 litre engine works for me.
Over the past 20 years my cars have been 2.0 litre petrol or diesel engined Citroens although I also had the C5 3.0 litre V6 along the way. The 508's 1.6 turbo with 8-speed gearbox has plenty of power and acceleration compared with my previous C5 Tourer. Being 300kg lighter helps a lot.
As for the sales numbers of Citroen and Peugeot, it's a disaster. It seems as if they aren't even trying.
Feb 2021 Sales:
Citroën C3 – 5
Citroën C3 Aircross – 0
Citroën C4 Cactus – 0
Citroën C5 Aircross – 1
Citroën Total – 6
Peugeot 2008 - 39
Peugeot 3008 - 17
Peugeot 5008 - 13
Peugeot 308 - 4
Peugeot 508 - 5
Peugeot Partner - 24
Peugeot Expert - 11
Peugeot Boxer - 4
Peugeot Total - 117
Citroën C3 – 5
Citroën C3 Aircross – 0
Citroën C4 Cactus – 0
Citroën C5 Aircross – 1
Citroën Total – 6
Peugeot 2008 - 39
Peugeot 3008 - 17
Peugeot 5008 - 13
Peugeot 308 - 4
Peugeot 508 - 5
Peugeot Partner - 24
Peugeot Expert - 11
Peugeot Boxer - 4
Peugeot Total - 117
Ancient history.
My old boss (now deceased) was a very loyal Pug owner, drove a 405 Mi16 and his wife a 307. They went on holiday to UK visiting friends maybe 2008? 2009? The friends drove a Skoda and my boss expressed some surprise. Their response - "there's no shame in owning a Skoda now, they are great cars."
People are catching on that Skoda builds better VWs than VW. The build quality is fantastic. They are full of clever little touches that shows somebody was thinking - like a clear plastic finger inside the windscreen to hold your paid parking ticket. Would have cost nothing but is a nice touch. You don't get one on a VW. They actually happen to be lovely to drive, too.
We Froggy fans are being let down by the importers. The offering here is unappealing and overpriced.
The Czechs have always been great engineers. Clever solutions. Hans Ledwinka, Tatra, off road multi wheel drive trucks, Zetor tractors, Jawa motor bikes, Bren guns, Brno and CZ firearms, Semtex and now their car industry has the resources it needs. Cars are built by a skilled work force, very little immigrant labour. Skoda was the great armaments works of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Told the name literally means damage. Cars once a minor part, they bought Laurin & Klement. There was talk of bringing the name back for an up market model. Don't know about their cars but they still make parts for their fifty year old tractors.