First-Half 2012 Highlights

•    Sales of new vehicles and CKD units at 1,619,000 units
•    Sales of new vehicles down 10.7%
•    Sales of CKD units down 31.1%
•    12.9% market share in Europe*
•    Increase in the proportion of sales outside Europe to 39%
•    Steady growth in the share of Premium vehicles** in the sales mix, to 19%
•    Successful launch of the Peugeot 208 and 4008 and of the Citroën DS5 and C4 AirCross
•    World premiere launch of four diesel hybrids: the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4, the 508 RXH and 508 HYbrid4 and the Citroën DS5 HYbrid4     
•    European leader in carbon reduction in the first quarter, with average CO2 emissions across the range of 125.5 g/km.

Global automobile markets rose by an aggregate 7% in the first half of 2012, led by growth of 14.4% both in the Asian and Russian markets. The Chinese passenger car market rose by 6.8% over the period.

In Europe, where the economic environment was very weak, demand for cars and light commercial vehicles declined by a steep 7.2%. The fall-off varied considerably by country:

• Down 21.5% in Italy
• Down 13.3% in France
• Down 10.2% in Spain
• Up 0.6% in Germany
• Up 1.4% in the United Kingdom
• Down 1.6% in Central and Eastern Europe

The European market was down by 10% for PSA Peugeot Citroën, due to the unfavourable country mix.

In this environment, worldwide sales of PSA Peugeot Citroën assembled vehicles and CKD units declined by 13% to 1,619,000 units in first-half 2012.

Of these, 1,476,000 were assembled vehicles (down 10.7%) and 143,000 were CKD units (down 31.1%).  The increased sanctions against Iran made it impossible to finance Iran-bound sales of CKD units, which led the Group to suspend these sales during the first half, in compliance with international regulations.

Frédéric Saint-Geours, Executive Vice-President, Brands noted :
"In a very tight automotive market environment in Europe, our strategy of moving upmarket and globalising our operations is proving to be more relevant than ever. With our recent model introductions - the Peugeot 208, the Citroën DS5 and the diesel hybrid versions of the Peugeot 3008 and 508 and the Citroën DS5 - and the launches scheduled over the rest of the year - the Peugeot 301, the Citroën C-Elysée and C4L, as well as the new C3 in Latin America - we have the vehicles to defend our positions in Europe and to pursue our expansion in emerging markets."

12.9% market share in Europe

The European car and light commercial vehicle market fell back 7.2% in the first half, with declines of 6.7% in the car segment and of 11.8% in light commercial vehicles. In this environment, registrations of PSA Peugeot Citroën vehicles contracted by 13.6% to 994,000 units, for a 12.9% share of the market, versus 13.9% in first-half 2011. However, this share represented a 0.2 point improvement from the 12.7% reported in second-half 2011, when demand was no longer stimulated by scrappage incentives in France and certain other European countries.

The Group remains adversely impacted by an unfavourable market mix, with the most promising markets for the Peugeot and Citroën brands (France, Spain and Italy) all suffering from deep recession. Excluding the effect of changes in the country mix over the period, market share in first-half 2012 would have stood at 13.3%.

However, the Group's market share improved in several of its leading markets, rising to 17.7% from 17.5% in Spain, to 9.3% from 9.2% in the United Kingdom and to 10.2% from 9.8% in Italy.

The Group maintained its leadership in light commercial vehicles, with a market share of 20.8%.

Successful model launches

Peugeot 208: Europe-wide, the new Peugeot 208 had already booked nearly 72,000 orders by the end of June, even though it is being introduced in a limited number of countries and the eagerly awaited three-cylinder petrol engines - potentially representing 40% of sales - will not be available until July (for the 1.2-litre version) and October (for the 1.0-litre).
The model's trim level mix is higher than expected, with level 2 (Active) and 3 (Allure) accounting for more than 90% of orders and level 3 and 3 + (Feline) for 42%.

DS line: Thanks to the Citroën DS5's contribution, the DS line represented 15% of orders in Europe in the first half, as well as 10% of Citroën's global sales, versus 7% in the year-earlier period.

Sustained globalisation of the sales base
Sales outside Europe accounted for 39% of the first-half consolidated total, compared with 29% in first-half 2008, 33% in first-half 2009, 35% in first-half 2010 and 38% in first-half 2011.

China: another period of robust growth
In a local car market up by 6.8%, PSA Peugeot Citroën's sales rose by 7.5% to 209,200 units, thanks in particular to strong demand for the Peugeot 308 and Citroën C4. Market share stood at 3.4% for the period. On 28 June, the Citroën DS line was introduced by CAPSA, the Group's second joint venture in China.  

Latin America: headwinds
The Brazilian market, which is suffering from both the global economic crisis and a slowdown in domestic consumer spending, ended the first half down 0.3%. This unfavourable environment caused a decline in Group results across Latin America.
Performance was also impacted by capital projects to add new capacity at the Porto Real plant and by the increase in Brazil's IPI sales tax on imported vehicles.
Lastly, volume growth was dampened by the impending renewal of the Group's line-up in the B segment, the largest in the South American market.
Against this backdrop, the Group sold 122,000 vehicles in the region in the first half, down 21.1%.
The outlook in Brazil seems to be improving in the second half, thanks to government support measures and the successful launch of the Peugeot 308 last March. This dynamic will be further enhanced by the forthcoming introduction of the Citroën C3 in August.

Russia: gathering momentum
In a market up 14.4% in the first half, Group sales rose by 14.7% to 41,000 units, helping to lift market share by 0.1 point to 2.8%.
In the light commercial vehicle market, sales soared 61% year-on-year to 6,086 units, increasing market share by three points to 8.7% and making the Group the leader in the import segment.

Since the beginning of the year, the Group has unveiled five new models in Russia, the Peugeot 508 and 4008 and the Citroën C4 AirCross, DS4 and DS5. In addition, with Peugeot's Kaluga plant now ramped-up to full production since 4 July, the Peugeot 408, the first model to be entirely built in Russia, will be launched in July.

Continued growth in Premium vehicle sales

In all of its growth regions, PSA Peugeot Citroën's strategy is designed to move the Peugeot and Citroën brands upmarket more quickly.

This process continued apace in the first half of 2012, driving a further increase in the proportion of Premium vehicle sales, to 19% of the total versus 17% in first-half 2011.

In addition, the sales mix continued to improve, with the C and D segments accounting for 45% of interim sales, compared with 42% in first-half 2011.
Sales in the A and B segments declined to 38% of the consolidated total from 40% in first-half 2011.

Technological and environmental leadership

In first-quarter 2012, PSA Peugeot Citroën was the European leader in carbon reduction, with average emissions across the range of 125.5g CO2/km.
In the first quarter, Group vehicles emitting less than 110g CO2/km accounted for 33.1% of total sales versus 29.3% in first-half 2011, while vehicles emitting less than 121g CO2/km rose to 47.4% of total sales from 44.1% in the prior-year period.

The Group confirmed its commitment to innovation with the world premiere in the first half of four diesel hybrids equipped with HYbrid4 technology: the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 launched in late February, which accounted for 8% of total Peugeot 3008 unit sales; the Citroën DS5 HYbrid4 introduced in March, which represented 20% of total Citroën DS5 unit sales; and more recently the Peugeot 508 RXH and 508 HYbrid4.  

In addition, for the sixth year in a row, PSA Peugeot Citroën's 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, direct-injection turbo petrol engine, developed in cooperation with BMW Group, was honoured with the 2012 International Engine of the Year Award in the 1.4 to 1.8-litre category, presented by Engine Technology International. The 1.6-litre version caps an entire family of engines, equipped with the latest technologies, that improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions by around 10% compared with the previous generation.

In a further demonstration of its technological leadership, PSA Peugeot Citroën was once again France's leading patent filer for the fifth straight year, with 1,237 patent applications published in 2011.

Lastly, beginning in July, the new Peugeot 208 will be fitted with the new generation three-cylinder petrol engine produced at the Trémery plant. The 1.0-litre VTI version delivers 68 hp, while offering higher efficiency, optimised fuel consumption and emissions of just 99g CO2/km. The 1.2-litre VTI version offers 82 hp and just 104g CO2/km.  

*     Europe = EU, EFTA and Croatia

**     Premium vehicles offer a level of driving pleasure, safety, quality of finish, connectivity and comfort that serves as a benchmark in their segment. They include distinctive models from the A, B and C segments (Peugeot 207CC, 308CC, RCZ, 3008 and 4008; Citroën DS3, DS4 and C4 AirCross) and models from the D and E segments (Peugeot 508, 407 and 4007; Citroën C5, C6, C-Crosser and DS5).    

Worldwide Sales of PSA Peugeot Citroën Passenger Cars and Light Commercial Vehicles, First-Half 2012 versus First-Half 2011