Citroen LCV sales soar

Citroen Relay Enterprise grade

Citroen light commercial sales are up by almost one-third so far this year compared to last year, writes Trish Whelan.

Speaking at the launch of the new Citroen Relay van yesterday, Louise Murphy, Marketing Manager, Citroen Motors Ireland said this represents a 6 percent market share here. It also means Citroen are in sixth place in the Irish LCV market with 9,351 units sold to end of June.

In her summary, Louise said the Berlingo remains their biggest LCV seller this year with 82 percent of sales, followed by Dispatch (9%), Relay (6%) and Nemo (3%). Eight of of every 10 Citroen vans sold, is a Berlingo small van. Their large vans have seen a 22 percent rise in sales this year and the French van maker is targeting a market share of 5 percent in this segment which Louise said 'may seem ambitious but with our LCV history, we would see that as a very achievable target'. The Enterprise grade is new to the range. The C4 van is also new and competes in the Compact Car Derived Van area.

Citroen Berlingo

Figures also show Citroen's passenger car sales year-to-date at 62 percent versus LCV sales of 38 percent so van sales are particularly important for Citroen as a brand.

The Irish range is based on that of the UK and offers an extensive choice both in terms of length, heights, engines and also in terms of equipment levels.

"We try to cover every eventuality in terms of what our customers need and customise to their requirements. Our typical customers are SMEs or sole traders, and that's where our market is.

"We have seen demand up since last summer which caught us by surprise. On the back of that, we increased our supplies for 2014 so stock is not now an issue."

In terms of conversions to chassis cab or other vans, Citroen Ireland's preferred conversion partners include Tony Gray, Parfit and TSS.