Citroen leaving Australia after more than 100 years, importer focusing on Peugeot

French car brand Citroen is set to depart local showrooms, as the brand’s local distributor turns its attention to its more successful sibling, Peugeot.

Inchcape Australia will close orders on new Citroen models by November 1, 2024.

Once it fulfils all orders, it will transition to a service-only operation across its 35 existing service centres.

All Citroen orders placed by Australian customers prior to November 1 will include the brand’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, capped-price servicing and service plans.

“Whilst we acknowledge and celebrate Citroen’s rich history in the Australian market, we must look to the future and consider the rapidly evolving, dynamic, and competitive nature of the industry and local market, alongside changing consumer demands,” said David Owen, Citroen Australia general manager.

“The decision for Citroen Australia to cease new vehicle sales was not made lightly; it was made after careful consideration of the current and future product available for our country, in the context of the local market and the preferences and requirements of Australian new vehicle buyers.

“Our dedication to putting our customers at the centre of everything we do remains resolute.

“We know there will continue to be Citroen owners in Australia, with many Citroen vehicles still on the road, and our passionate Citroen Australia team and retailer network are committed to supporting the continued vehicle maintenance needs of our customers.”

Presently, Citroen sells just four models in Australia: the C3 hatchback, C4 high-riding hatch, C5 Aircross SUV and C5 X lifted wagon.

The Citroen C5 X’s plug-in hybrid variant, due in Australia later this year, will be the brand’s final new vehicle to arrive in local showrooms.

The decision comes amid a sales slump for the brand, having fallen from a high of 3803 annual deliveries in 2007 to 175 in 2021.

Though Citroen’s fortunes improved slightly across the last two years, recording 228 deliveries in 2023, its year-to-date figure of 87 registrations between January and July is down 35.6 per cent on the same period last year.

Citroen’s woeful sales results place it only ahead of high-end brands McLaren and Rolls-Royce in Australia, and the brand is being outsold by Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Lotus.

Its departure will mark the end of a 100-plus year run in Australia, after it signed its first official deal with a local importer in 1923.

The Citroen 5CV was the brand’s first vehicle to arrive in Australia, beginning a run for the brand which holds the longest continuous presence of any carmaker on the local market.

While now-sibling brand Peugeot was here earlier, it has departed and returned to Australia’s new car market multiple times.

Peugeot has also been far more successful in recent years, notching up 2516 deliveries in 2023 and registering 1341 new cars locally so far this year, almost as many cars as Citroen has sold cumulatively since 2019.

Citroen is also the second brand run by automotive conglomerate Stellantis to depart Australia in three years, following Chrysler shutting up shop locally in late 2021.