Citroen thanks its ten million followers of Social Media for joining them online.

Citroën celebrates reaching 10 million global fans on Facebook by giving back to fans with a unique GIF. Fans are invited to find out which of them is the most important in Citroën’s eyes. After clicking the link, the surprise is that they are automatically directed to their own profile page; an original way to show that each fan is just as important as the other.

Citroën’s international Facebook page has gained a new GIF featuring a large heart aimed at each and every member of the brand’s Facebook fan base, which is now in excess of 10 million.

Citroën aims to thank its fans by offering them the opportunity to find out which of them is the most valued by the brand. The twist is that the link returns them directly to their own profile page proving that each fan is appreciated.

Citroën has topped the 10 million fan mark on Facebook, an achievement that once again reflects the close ties with its communities on social media including:

• The creation of a Facebook page dedicated to the New C3 with a day-to-day log of activities during the launch period.
• The first 100% mobile vehicle configurator on Facebook with the New C3.

These close ties are further strengthened by New C3 with the world’s first built-in dashcam, ConnectedCAM Citroën™. Citroën is encouraging its fans to use ConnectedCAM Citroën™ and to share their photos and videos on social media.

Today, Citroën has over 10 million global fans: a symbolic milestone underlining the brand’s strong momentum. Taiwan and Hong Kong recently joined the community, taking the number of Citroën Facebook pages worldwide to 79. The brand counts more than 13 million fans across all its social media channels worldwide.

END OF YEAR WORLDWIDE - PSA GROUP - Europe has been hit but overall there is growth.

• In 2016, sales increased by 5.8%, to 3,146,000 units. ¹
• The product offensive in the Push to Pass plan was launched for the Peugeot and Citroën brands.
• Successful commercial launches for the new PEUGEOT 3008 SUV, new Expert and Traveller, the new CITROËN C3, the new Jumpy and SpaceTourer.
• DS Automobiles consolidated its premium brand bases. 

In executing its profitable strategic growth "Push to Pass" plan, in 2016 the PSA Group launched the start of a worldwide product offensive that provides for 121 regional launches by 2021.

All the products launched are commercial successes in their market segments:

A perfect illustration of the dynamism of the PEUGEOT brand, which grew by 12.3% in 2016, the new PEUGEOT 3008 SUV has seen a total of more than 60,000 orders in only three months, exceeding the targets for 2016 orders set before the launch by 70%. 

Launched in about 30 countries, the roll-out to all regions will continue during the first quarter of 2017. In France, it is already the leader in the C-SUV segment over the final three months of the year. 

The new PEUGEOT 3008 SUV confirms the PEUGEOT brand's move upmarket, with 86% of the orders for the higher trim levels, Allure, GT-Line and GT. PEUGEOT is continuing its internationalisation, with 43% of its worldwide sales generated outside Europe, an increase of four points compared with 2015.

The new PEUGEOT 4008 SUV launched in November 2016 in China and manufactured in the new Chengdu plant dedicated to SUVs achieved 120% of its objectives. In less than six weeks' on sale, it has already recorded 11,500 orders, of which more than 40% were for high-end trims.

The new CITROËN C3, with almost 40,000 sales already since its launch in November, enabled a bound of sales of 63% to be recorded in the fourth quarter, with a very high order mix of almost 50% for the highest trim level and 75% for the two-tone versions. 

These choices reflect the differentiation and well-being values at the core of the CITROËN positioning.

With a range that has been renewed over 12 months, the DS brand is gradually taking its place in the premium segment. The DS 3 stands among the top three best-selling premium city sedans in Europe, the DS 4 Crossback represents 34% of sales of the DS 4 & DS 4 Crossback duo, and 81% of sales of the DS 5 are the high-end versions.

Furthermore, the Group extended its product offensive in the light commercial vehicle segment, with the launch of seven new versions of the PEUGEOT Expert and CITROËN Jumpy in 2016 including the launch of the PEUGEOT Traveller and CITROËN SpaceTourer passenger car versions.

In Europe, the Group's sales were 1,930,000 vehicles a growth of 3.6% in 2016. The PEUGEOT brand, with a 4.4% increase in sales, is maintaining this growth, due in particular to the PEUGEOT 2008 SUV (+16% on sales of 184,200), which stands in second place in its segment, the PEUGEOT Partner (+8% on sales of 114,200) and the PEUGEOT 208, the brand's best-seller, driven by the success of its mid-life (+8% on sales of 274,000). The picture is similar for CITROËN which, with growth of 4.3%, recorded its best sales volume for five years (762,000 units). In addition to new launches during the year (E-Mehari, new Jumpy, SpaceTourer and new C3), the brand's momentum was sustained in particular by the C4 Picasso, the benchmark in people carriers, renewed in September (sales of 109,000) and also by the continued success of the Berlingo LCV, the second best-selling small van in Europe. The DS brand continues to develop its dedicated network with 112 DS Stores and DS Salons, as well as the first DS Urban Store, located in the heart of the prestigious Westfield shopping centre in London, inaugurated on 1 December 2016.

In China and South-East Asia, in a fiercely competitive context, the Group generated 618,000 sales. In December, DONGFENG PEUGEOT achieved its historic best ever monthly performance in China with 43,800 deliveries to customers, mainly due to the success of the PEUGEOT 4008 SUV.

The CITROËN C3-XR SUV confirmed its success with more than 73,000 sales, an increase of 10.5%, which made it the second-best selling DONGFENG CITROËN, behind the C-Elysée (87,000 sales). Orders for the new CITROEN C6 large sedan launched at the end of the year have already reached 4,000, of which nearly 75% are for high-end engines and trims.

With 109 DS Stores, China is the second-largest market for the DS brand, which generated one in every five sales, of which 60% of volumes was for the DS 6 SUV.

On the fast-growing markets of South-East Asia, the PEUGEOT brand recorded growth of 72% in the Philippines and 40% in Singapore. The CITROËN brand continued to grow in South-East Asia, especially in Singapore with the success of the C4 Picasso.

In the Middle-East and Africa region, the PSA Group doubled its sales in 2016 with 383,500 vehicles ². In less than a year, the Group's return to Iran took firm shape with the signature of two joint venture agreements: PEUGEOT with Iran Khodro, the brand's historic partner, and CITROEN with SAIPA. Launched at the start of 2016 in partnership with the Iranian group Arian Motor, DS opened its first DS Store in Teheran and markets the DS 5, DS 5LS and DS 6.

In Latin America, the Group's sales grew by 17.1%, with 183,900 vehicles sold. The Group's market shares increased in Argentina (+1.6 points) and in Chile (+1.3 points), where sales were up 32%. With an overall increase of 23.6%, PEUGEOT sales are growing very sharply, in particular in Argentina (+39%), notably with the success, from its launch, of the PEUGEOT 2008 SUV (almost 10,000 sales), in Chile (+32%) and in Brazil (+7%). CITROËN sales grew by 6.3%, particularly due to the C3 Aircross (+78%). DS occupies fourth place in the Argentinian premium vehicle market.

In Eurasia, the economic climate is still very weak, particularly in Russia, and the PSA Group's sales fell by 12.6% to 10,500 units in a market that declined by 12.5%. In Ukraine, in a dynamic market (+37.4%), the Group's sales grew by 43%. The Group has extended its geographic presence in the region with the commercial launch of its three brands in Georgia.

In the India-Pacific region, following growth of 3.3% in Japan in 2015, the Group saw a rapid increase in its Japanese sales with a rise of 20.6%, making this its best result here since 2007. The PEUGEOT brand made a significant contribution to this performance (+27%), driven in particular by the excellent results for the PEUGEOT 2008 SUV (+63%), the 208 (+46%) and the 308 (+24%). The introduction of the BlueHDi technology in July made it possible to round out the energy offer and will have partially contributed to supporting this growth. CITROËN sales grew by 7.5% across the whole region, mainly due to the launch of the C4 Cactus at the end of the year in Japan and Korea. Officially launched at the end of 2015 in Japan, sales of the DS brand increased by 30% under the effect of major operations such as the first DS WEEK in Tokyo and the launch of a number of limited editions.

Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board: "The increase in our sales for the third consecutive year, even though the product offensive of our Push to Pass plan is in its early stages, proves the relevance of our Core Model Strategy. The success of our latest launches is proof that the value-creating growth is the result of the excellence of our products and a virtuous commercial policy".

PSA Groupe, Ericsson and Orange combine forces for the next generation of connectivity.

• Partnership between Ericsson, Orange and PSA Group to test 5G network technology for connected vehicle applications as part of “Towards 5G” initiative.
• The partnership will conduct live testing using a test track on a French site, equipped with an end-to-end wireless network
• The partnership addresses connected vehicle requirements to improve road safety, as well as new automotive connected services for better user experience

Ericsson, Orange and PSA Group have signed a partnership agreement to conduct 5G technology pilot for automotive applications. 

“Towards 5G” connected car partnership aims to leverage 4G to 5G technology evolution to address connected vehicle requirements such as intelligent transport system (ITS) to improve road safety, new automotive and in-car services.

The partnership is technically focused on Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) architecture and real-time performances for the deployment of ITS and connected services in vehicles. 

Initial tests use end-to-end architecture system with LTE technology and will evolve to LTE-V and 5G technology.

First use cases on Cooperative ITS have been defined and are currently tested on the field test track such as “see through” between two connected vehicles on a road and connected emergency vehicle aiming at notifying in real-time emergency vehicle approach.

Other deliverables will be produced during 2017 in the framework of this research initiative.

“Towards 5G” connected car initiative is an important opportunity for the three partners to combine their expertise in connected vehicles to meet the challenges of new mobility services and of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Ericsson provides the radio and a distributed virtualized core network to enable network slicing capabilities and intelligent geo-messaging service.

Orange provides the cellular network with the associated spectrum on the field trial site and   the on-board connectivity integrating vehicular use cases.

PSA Group is in charge of automotive use case requirement definition, embedded architecture integration, user experience and technical validation.

As a result of their collaboration, the partners will develop a comprehensive experience of the requirements for a 5G infrastructure that fits to the needs of the connected vehicles industry. They will also identify the full potential of innovative services and use cases for the benefit of improving road safety and for better quality of services to end users.

"Connected IoT services are a crucial way to enhance the user experience for our customers, who today demand unprecedented levels of comfort and convenience as well as personalised services in their vehicles," said Carla Gohin, Research, Innovation and Advanced Technologies VP, PSA Group.

"Connected vehicles are part of our IoT strategic vision along with home, smart cities, e-health and Industry 4.0. Vehicle manufacturers expect us to provide the connectivity they need for remote maintenance management, for example, or to keep on-board systems software permanently up-to-date. By teaming with Ericsson and PSA Group, we are combining our capabilities to drive 5G development for innovative services with the perspective of the availability of 5G by 2020," said Mari-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière, Executive Vice President, Innovation, Marketing and Technologies, Orange.

“5G technology will play a key role in the transport system of tomorrow.Ericsson is bringing Networks, IT and specific innovative solutions to the automotive industry. Along with key players like PSA and Orange, we will ensure the required levels of safety and security as well as contributing to a more sustainable and smart society," saidCharlotta Sund, Vice President and Head of Customer Group Industry & Society, Ericsson.

Citroen takes over the Westfield Stratford City Link Bridge to make it one of the biggest adverts in the UK.

Citroën has taken over the Westfield Stratford City link bridge from 3 September to 1 October to create one of the brand’s largest public installations in the UK to date. The second only brand to take over the bridge since the London 2012 Olympics, Citroën will display artwork created by Havas London, emphasising the brand’s rich heritage and visions of the future. 

On 3 September, Citroën took over the Westfield Stratford City link bridge for one month and unveiled one of the largest display installations to celebrate a partnership with Westfield Stratford City.

Designed by Havas London, and covering the entire length of the pedestrian bridge which links Stratford rail station to Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, the installation highlights Citroën’smost important historic moments and popular models.

Citroën is a brand recognised for its creativity and advanced technologies. The artwork, which took 4 nights to install and is 120 metres long and 4.4metres high, had to be carefully constructed to take into account the bridge dimensions, curves and numerous panel sizes, making it a particularly challenging task. 

Four teams worked from the middle out, so that both sides were covered simultaneously.

Covering the inside walls of the structure, the artwork takes the viewer through a journey of the French marque. Starting  with the manufacturer’s founder André Citroën, passers-by will continue to learn about groundbreaking Citroën moments such as writing the marque’s name with 30m high letters on the side of the Eiffel Tower, using 250,000 light bulbs and 600 kilometres of cable. 

The biggest advert at the time, set the pace for the brand’s bold attitude that is still part of its DNA today.

Showcasing the marque’s innovative roots, the bridge display uncovers archive images of the 1948 Type H, the first mass-produced front-wheel drive van, and the 2CV, the first front wheel drive small car in the world.

Creating cars that make people feel good has always been Citroën’s goal. Moving on from the historic images, the bridge artwork takes the viewer to present times, showing the brand’s new models such as New C3, and features dedicated to ultimate comfort and personalisation. 

The Airbump® technology, Citroën Advanced Comfort®, reversing camera and key-less entry, bi-tone body colour combinations and PureTech Petrol engines (International Engine of the Year in 2015 and 2016) are just some of the Citroën hallmarks presented.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Citroën to use the bridge space to tell the Citroën story in an innovative, bold and spirited way. With an ‘Opportunity To See’ reach of over 665,000 visitors per week, this is a valuable advertising platform for Citroën”, Chris Cheetham, Marketing Director of Citroën UK.

“Westfield is very proud to partner with global brand Citroën in the first of what will be a series of events, installations and UK-first customer experiences”, Paul Buttigieg, Director of Shopping Centre Management Westfield Europe.

The takeover of the bridge marks Citroën’s 15-month partnership with the Westfield Stratford City shopping mall.

Citroen pulls out all the bells and whistles for the best offers they have had for years in a bid to expand its sales.

• 3 years’ / 35,000 mile servicing at £99 for all Citroën car models (excluding C-Zero)
• Citroën SimplyDrive across the range, plus telematics available for 18 year olds on selected models
• Up to £1,500 additional support for customers trading in their car for a New C4 Picasso
• New monthly rates include the award winning Grand C4 Picasso, available from £265 per month plus £1,500 deposit contribution
• Further options include C4 Cactus from £155 per month plus £1,500 deposit contribution, and C1 from £125 per month plus £500 deposit contribution
• Drivers can take advantage of these offers from 1 September 2016

Citroën has announced its range of offers for the new September registration, including 3 years / 35,000 miles servicing at £99 across its passenger car range (orders placed by 19 September & registered by 30 September, 2016), Citroën SimplyDrive across the range from 18 years old with telematics, and up to £1,500 additional support for customers when trading in their car for a new model: £1,500 for C4 Picasso and £1,000 for C3 Picasso.

Competitive retail packages across the range for September include up to £1,500 deposit contribution on C4 Cactus, New C4 Picasso and New Grand C4 Picasso, and 0% APR on C3 Picasso, C4 Cactus, New C4 Picasso, and New Grand C4 Picasso.

Citroën C1 is available from just £8,495 OTR,with £500 (Feel) or £400 (Flair) deposit contributions. Monthly rates startfrom £125 with all models (excluding Touch) being available with 4.9% APR. C1 benefits from the Citroën SimplyDrive scheme, providing driver peace of mind with 3 years’ motor insurance, routine servicing, roadside assistance, warranty and road fund licence. 

Citroën C3 Picasso is available from £16,575 OTR, with monthly rates starting from £205. All C3 Picasso Edition & Platinum models are available with 0% Elect 3 (PCP) and 0% HP both over 3 or 4 years with variable deposits - over 36 months 10% minimum deposit, or 48 months 20% minimum deposit.All C3 Picasso Edition & Platinum models are available with £1,000 deposit contribution.  Benefiting from the exchange scheme for drivers that wish to swap their old model for a new C3 Picasso, Citroën will offer a contribution of £1,000.

Available from £12,990 OTR, Citroën C4 Cactusmodels are available with 2.9% APR on Elect 3 (PCP) with a deposit contribution of up to £1,500, while the Feel edition starts from £260 per month with 0% APR over 3 years and £1,500 deposit contribution. The C4 Cactus is part of the Citroën SimplyDrive scheme available from 18 years old. 

Prices for New C4 Picasso start from £19,635 OTR, the Touch Edition being available from £327 per month with 0% APR over 4 years and £1,000 deposit contribution. All models across the range benefit from 0% APR finance over 36 months with a 0% minimum deposit, or 48 months with a 20% minimum deposit.

New Grand C4 Picasso is available from £21,935 OTR and benefits from 0% APR finance over 36 months with a 0% minimum deposit, or 48 months with a 20% minimum deposit. The New Grand C4 Picasso Touch Edition is available from £366 per month with £1,000 deposit contribution, both models benefiting from 0% APR over 4 years.

PSA Group has succeeded with it Push to Pass plan with income, turnover and profits all going in the right way.

• 6.8% of recurring operating margin^[1] for the Automotive division and 5.1% for Faurecia
• Net income, Group share, doubled to €1.2 billion
• €1.8 billion in Free Cash Flow^[2]
• Roll out has started for the "Push to Pass" plan; the product blitz and international development have been launched. The PSA Group has greater agility than ever before for continuing its profitable growth.

Group revenue amounted to €27,779 million in the first half of 2016, compared to €28,036 million in the first half of 2015 (after restatement in accordance with IFRS 5, detailed in the appendices), growth of 2.4% at constant exchange rates. Net of the unfavourable changes in exchange rates, it is down by 0.9%.

Automotive division revenue amounted to €19,190 million, also up 2.5% compared to the first half of 2015 at constant exchange rates, attributable to the success of the models and the pricing power strategy. Net of the unfavourable changes in exchange rates, it is down by 1.1%.

Group Recurring Operating Income amounted to €1,830 million, up 32% compared to the first half of 2015. With Recurring Operating Income of €1,303 million, the Automotive division grew by 34% compared to the first half of 2015. This growth is buoyed particularly by increased volumes^[3], as well as the continued reduction of fixed costs and production costs.

Non-recurring operating income and expenses amounted to -€207 million, compared to   -€343 million in the first half of 2015.

Group net financial expenses fell by half to -€150 million, compared to -€334 million in the first half of 2015.

Group consolidated net profit amounted to €1,383 million, up by €663 million. Net income, Group share, is €1,212 million, compared to €571 million in the first half of 2015.

Banque PSA Finance reported Recurring Operating Income of €297 million^[4], a rise of 1% compared to the first half of 2015.

Faurecia's Recurring Operating Income amounted to €490 million, an increase of €106 million compared to the first half of 2015.

Free Cash Flow of Manufacturing and sales companiesamounted to €1,846 million, driven by improved funds from operations.

Total inventory, including independent dealers, stood at 399,000 vehicles at 30 June 2016, up 8,000 units from end June 2015.

^[1] Recurring operating income to revenue

^[2] In the first half of 2016, for Manufacturing and sales companies

^[3] Excluding China

^[4] 100% of the results of Banque PSA Finance. In the financial statements of the PSA Group, the joint ventures are accounted for at equity, and the other businesses covered by the Santander agreement are reclassified under "Operations held for sale or to be continued in partnership".

The Manufacturing and sales companies' net financial position at 30 June 2016 was a positive €5,972 million, up €1,412 million on 31 December 2015.

Market outlook

For 2016, the Group expects the automotive market to grow by about 4% in Europe and 8% in China, and to shrink by around 12% in Latin America and 15% in Russia.

Operational targets

The Push to Pass plan, unveiled on 5 April 2016, sets the following targets:

• Reach an average 4% automotive recurring operating margin in 2016-2018, and target 6% by 2021;
• Deliver 10% Group revenue growth by 2018¹ vs 2015, and target additional 15% by 2021¹.

Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board of the PSA Group, said: "Our continued performance reflects the success of the company's structural transformation, its efficiency, and the profound change of spirit within the Group. In a changing environment, all our teams are focused on operational excellence and continue to demonstrate their agility in deploying our Push to Pass strategic plan."

Financial Calendar - 26 October 2016: 3^rd Quarter 2016 Revenue

The PSA Group's consolidated financial statements at 30 June 2016 were approved by the Managing Board on 22 July 2016 and reviewed by the Supervisory Board on 26 July 2016. The Group's Statutory Auditors have completed their audit and are currently issuing their report on the consolidated financial statements.