The PSA Group, which makes Peugeot and Citroën cars, has released its full year results showing a growth in marketshare in a falling market.

The group saw its worldwide market sharegrow 5.1% in a global market where sales were down 3.5%.

However, in the UK the PSA group performed particularly badly, with registrations down 14% to 206,000 units in a market down 9.9%.

 

The group said this was due to its strategy of limiting the adverse sales impact of the unfavourable pound/euro exchange rate over the year.

Total worldwide sales of Peugeot Citroën vehicles fell by 2.2% during the year, to 3,188,000 units (1,842,000 Peugeot and 1,346,000 Citroën) from 3,260,000 units in 2008.

In Europe the Group saw its market share hit 13.7%.

In the European new van and car market that fell by 5.4%, PSA saw its sales fall by 3.7% to 2,192,000 units, of which 1,153,000 were Peugeot and 1,039,000 Citroën.

On the van front, the group performed even better with new Peugeot and Citroen vans now accouting for more the one in every five new light commercials sold in Europe.

Its market sahe of LCVs in Europe is now 22.2% - up from 19.7% in 2008.

During the year, the group launched:

• The Citroën C3 Picasso, which exceeded registration forecasts with 86,000 units sold.
• The Peugeot 3008, Peugeot’s first crossover, which sold more than 59,000 units.
• The Peugeot 206+, Peugeot’s new entry-level model, which is perfectly suited to the current economic environment and has been selling extremely well since its launch in March.
• The Group’s average corporate CO2 emissions in Europe stood at 136.2g/km in 2009, versus 140.1g in 2008.

During the year, PSA Peugeot Citroën sold nearly a million (979,000) vehicles emitting less than 130g of CO2/km, confirming its leadership in low carbon cars.

In its outlook for the coming year the group was not optimistic.

"In 2010, markets are expected to show signs of recovery around the world, with the exception of Europe, which will probably experience another decline as scrappage schemes are removed or phased out with gradually declining incentives.

"The second half should see some glimmers of improvement, however. In this environment, PSA Peugeot Citroën believes that European markets may see an average one-digit decline in demand over the year.

"The impact of this decline in European markets is expected to be offset by the sustained success of the models launched in 2009 (the Peugeot 206+, 308 CC, 3008 and 5008, and the Citroën C3 Picasso and New C3) and the 2010 model introductions (the Peugeot RCZ and i0n electric, and the Citroën DS3 and C-ZERO electric)," it said in the statement.