Groupe PSA see's sales grow in 2017 with the help of Vauxhall and Opel, but whats to come !

• Groupe PSA sold 3,632,3001 vehicles worldwide
• 4th consecutive year of improvement in Groupe PSA sales
• Successful SUV product offensive supporting the Group’s profitable growth
• Strengthening European leadership in Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) for PEUGEOT and CITROËN, with a 20.2% market share

The Push to Pass plan’s SUV offensive accelerates and the five SUV models launched in the past 18 months have enjoyed growing success. Overall, SUV sales accounted for 23% of consolidated sales at the year-end.

PEUGEOT brand sold nearly 600,000 SUVs in 2017 worldwide and ranks 2nd in the SUV European market with a strong expansion of nearly 60%.

With 259,300 PEUGEOT 3008 SUVs sold globally in 2017, the PEUGEOT brand enjoyed sustained demand for the model, which was named Car of the Year 2017 in Europe and recognised by 38 additional awards worldwide. PEUGEOT also benefited from the success of the new PEUGEOT 5008 launched in March 2017, with 85,900 units sold, and the positive performance of the PEUGEOT 4008 in China, with 51,500 units.

In autumn 2017, CITROËN kicked off its SUV offensive in China with the C5 Aircross, launched in September, and in Europe with the C3 Aircross, launched in October. Each model sold around 22,700 and 35,400 units, respectively, and will be rolled out worldwide in 2018.

At the end of February 2017, DS Automobiles debuted its first SUV, DS 7 CROSSBACK, and opened up online reservations for the La Première limited edition model. In October, the brand launched its exclusive network in parallel with order taking for all the line-up’s versions. The first deliveries are set for February 2018.

In 2017, OPEL and VAUXHALL rationalized the channel mix, in line with PACE! turnaround plan and led a record-breaking product offensive in 2017, with two new SUVs, the Crossland X and Grandland X, launched in May and September with sales of 33,900 and 18,700 units, respectively.

In 2017, Groupe PSA reported its best LCV sales ever, with 476,500 units sold, up 15% on 2016. And with Passenger Car derivatives (PEUGEOT Traveller and CITROËN SpaceTourer for example) these are 658,000 units sold by the Group in 2017.

The PEUGEOT and CITROËN brands strengthened the Group’s leadership status in Europe, where it holds a market share of 20.2% in LCV (1.3 point market share gain) allowing the Group to capture more than 50% of European LCV market growth thanks to the new PEUGEOT Expert and CITROËN Jumpy/Dispatch.

Outside Europe, the Group’s LCV offensive also began to deliver results. In Eurasia, sales were up 55% before the start of local production of new PEUGEOT Expert and CITROËN Jumpy/Dispatch planned in the first half of 2018. In Latin America, sales increased 13% and a full range of renewed products and a complete range of services will be offered in 2018.

The rise of a European champion

Consolidated sales in Europe came in at 2,378,600 units, representing a year-on-year increase of nearly 450,000 vehicles (up 23.2%), of which 376,400 OPEL and VAUXHALL units since 1 August 2017.

Groupe PSA’s market share increased in all of the Group’s main host countries, excluding the United Kingdom. For the first time since 2010, the Group added 0.3 points to its market share (11.1%) from PEUGEOT, CITROËN and DS sales alone.

On top of increased sales of SUVs and LCVs, the Group benefited from the successful launch of the PEUGEOT 308 (166,000 units sold), CITROËN C3 (217,000 units sold), and OPEL Insignia, available in three models, the Sports Tourer, Grand Sport and Country Tourer (total 40 600 units sold from August to December 2017).

In addition, the PEUGEOT 2008 and OPEL Mokka ended the year second and third, respectively, in their segment.

DS Automobiles continued to develop its network, with 150 locations now dedicated to marketing the first-ever second generation DS model, the DS 7 CROSSBACK.

In the Middle East & Africa, profitable growth ahead of targets

Consolidated sales in the Middle East & Africa region up a sharp 61.4% year on year at 618,800 units, of which 26,800 for the OPEL brand.

This performance was driven by the Group’s development in Iran (444,600 units sold in 2017) and higher sales in Turkey, Israel and the French overseas departments. The Group’s overall market share in the region came in at 11.6% and has steadily risen since 2015, on target with the Push to Pass plan objective of selling 700,000 vehicles by 2021.

Groupe PSA has continued its product offensive in the region, where it has successfully launched the new CITROËN C3 (awarded the “Best Urbanite” title in Israel), the new PEUGEOT 3008 SUV (voted “Family Car of the Year” in South Africa and “Car of the Year” in Israel), and the new PEUGEOT Pick Up, which marks the brand’s history-making return to its legitimate place in the segment.

OPEL is in the midst of a product offensive in the region having recently launched the new Insignia and Crossland X and with the launch of the new Grandland X scheduled for early 2018.

For the DS brand, 2017 marked the development of a dealer network across the region ahead of the market launch of the DS 7 CROSSBACK in the coming months.

The year also saw the production start-up and market launch of the PEUGEOT 2008 SUV in Iran, and the creation of an Iranian joint venture between CITROËN and SAIPA based at the Kashan plant. The Group continued to expand its manufacturing base, breaking ground on the Kenitra plant in Morocco, starting up local production in Kenya and Ethiopia, and signing a memorandum of understanding to set up a new plant in Oran, Algeria.

Signs of a sales recovery in China & Southeast Asia

In a difficult economic environment, the Group sold 387,000 vehicles in the China & Southeast Asia region. Showing the first signs of a sales recovery, the Group has seen a rise in sales since July, and a market share gain of 0.3 points in second-half 2017 compared with the first half. The SUV line-up proved to be a triumph, with the successful launch in 2017 of the PEUGEOT 4008 and 5008, and the CITROËN C5 Aircross. It is worthy to note that sales volumes for the new PEUGEOT 308 and the CITROËN C5 and C6 were stable versus 2016, despite weaker demand in this market segment.

In Southeast Asia, Groupe PSA has been accelerating its development, particularly in Vietnam with the successful launch of the PEUGEOT 3008 and 5008 SUVs. The vehicles are now produced locally at THACO’s plant in Chu Lai, just nine months after a new assembly agreement was signed.

In June 2017, Groupe PSA signed an agreement to step up its cooperation with ChangAn Automobile, establishing a solid foundation for faster expansion of the DS brand. Presented at Auto Shanghai, the DS 7 CROSSBACK will be brought to market at the start of the Beijing Motor Show.

Further rebound in Latin America, with sales climbing 12.2% to 206,300 units

In Latin America, PEUGEOT sales rose 11.1% due to strong momentum in most of the region’s markets. The PEUGEOT 3008 and 5008 SUVs were launched very successfully in every country and sales have exceeded targets. The PEUGEOT Expert, recently launched in Brazil and Argentina and produced in Uruguay, also promises to be a success.

CITROËN’s sales were up 13,8% in most of the region’s markets. For example, sales in Chile jumped 47% thanks to the tremendous success of the new CITROËN C3 and the solid performance delivered in the LCV segment, with Berlingo leading the way. The CITROËN Jumpy/Dispatch, produced in Uruguay and marketed in Brazil and Argentina, has been well received, suggesting that demand for the vehicle will be strong in 2018.

DS Automobiles recorded sales growth of 21.6%, led by Argentina’s performance, where the brand ranks fourth in the premium automotive market thanks to the DS 3, the leading vehicle in its class for the fourth year in a row. The DS brand opened two DS Stores at the end of the year and is set to accelerate the expansion of the network in 2018. In the coming months, the brand will launch the DS 7 CROSSBACK.

India-Pacific reports 26,100 cars sold and 31% growth ahead of India market launch in 2020

In Japan, the Group grew by 20% and recorded its best performance in more than 20 years. A sales recovery is under way in Australia and New Zealand, where two new importers have been appointed, resulting in sales almost tripling compared to 2016. Sales for the French Pacific overseas territories continued to rise sharply (up 40%) and South Korea’s performance was in line with that of 2016.

PEUGEOT contributed significantly to this growth, reporting a 37% increase in sales driven by the successful launch of the PEUGEOT 3008 and 5008.

CITROËN’s sales also rose sharply (up 36%) thanks to strong demand for the new C3.

DS continued to build its brand in the region. In Japan, the DS 7 CROSSBACK was warmly received at the Tokyo Motor Show. In addition, DS Automobiles opened three DS STORES and DS SALONS and will continue to develop its network in 2018.

Sales up 45% in Eurasia, outpacing the auto market

The Group made headway in the region’s major markets, including Russia (up 38%) and Ukraine (up 62%), with a total of 15,200 units sold.

Sales of the new PEUGEOT 3008 SUV were significantly ahead of the previous generation’s performance, accounting for 21% of the brand’s volumes, and helping to drive its volumes up 50.7%. The momentum in sales for CITROËN’s Grand C4 Picasso (up 126%), particularly in the BtoB segment, also pushed up the brand’s sales, by a strong 33.4% in Eurasia.

Groupe PSA’s LCV segment sales rose 55%. Local production of the PEUGEOT Expert, CITROËN Jumpy/Dispatch, PEUGEOT Traveller and CITROËN SpaceTourer in Kaluga, Russia as from 2018 is expected to enable the Group to achieve even faster sales growth in Eurasia.

Jean-Philippe Imparato, Chief Executive Officer, PEUGEOT, said: “2017 was an exceptional year, with record high results for PEUGEOT. We beat our target of selling two million vehicles, largely due to strong demand for our SUV and light commercial vehicle line­ups, on top of solid performances from our conventional PEUGEOT 208 sedan models and the new 308. The brand increased volumes sold as well as market share in five out of six regions. PEUGEOT has successfully moved upmarket and is continuing to expand internationally with sales outside Europe now representing 45% of the worldwide total.”

Linda Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, CITROËN, said: “2017 unleashed the momentum driven by CITROËN’s new product offensive: it was the first full year for the new C3, the new Jumpy/Dispatch and the SpaceTourer, but also the year we launched the C3 Aircross SUV in Europe and the C5 AIRCROSS SUV in China. The result was that, in Europe, we achieved our highest level of sales in six years and won back market share in both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Excluding China, our worldwide sales rose 7.5%! We have the necessary strengths to sustain and intensify this sales momentum in 2018, thanks to the global roll-out of our most recent launches, but also to major upcoming launches. Visit the Geneva Motor Show to find out more!”

Yves Bonnefont, Chief Executive Officer, DS Automobiles, said: “2017 was a crucial milestone in the development of the DS brand, with the opening of orders for the DS 7 CROSSBACK, the first DS of second generation, the debut of the DS exclusive network and the deployment of ‘Only You’. We are delivering on our global strategic roadmap.”

Peter Küspert, Executive Vice-President, Sales, Marketing & Aftersales at OPEL/VAUXHALL, said: “2017 was a transitional year for OPEL/VAUXHALL involving an unprecedented product offensive that will allow us to offer a young line-up over the full 2018 year and be present in all major segments, in particular with the X family of vehicles, which includes the Mokka X, Crossland X and Grandland X, on top of the Insignia GSi, Corsa GSi and the brand new Combo.”

Groupe PSA in 2017

	Consolidated world sales by regions
units				2016		2017	%Var
Europe*		Peugeot		1 102 230		1 173 465	6.5%
		Citroën		762 576		785 662	3.0%
		DS		65 452		43 135	-34.1%
		PCD		1 930 258		2 002 262	3.7%
		Opel/Vauxhall				376 380
		PCD+OV		1 930 258		2 378 642	23.2%
Middle East & Africa **		Peugeot		323 084		533 170	65.0%
		Citroën		58 662		57 273	-2.4%
		DS		1 743		1 575	-9.6%
		PCD		383 489		592 018	54.4%
		Opel/Vauxhall				26 809
		PCD+OV		383 489		618 827	61.4%
China & Southeast Asia		Peugeot		351 904		249 223	-29.2%
		Citroën		250 297		131 821	-47.3%
		DS		16 151		5 963	-63.1%
		PCD		618 352		387 007	-37.4%
		Opel/Vauxhall				295
		PCD+OV		618 352		387 302	-37.4%
Latin America		Peugeot		122 639		136 303	11.1%
		Citroën		60 196		68 526	13.8%
		DS		1 072		1 304	21.6%
		PCD		183 907		206 133	12.1%
		Opel/Vauxhall				142
		PCD+OV		183 907		206 275	12.2%
India & Pacific		Peugeot		13 977		19 205	37.4%
		Citroën		4 452		6 049	35.9%
		DS		1 457		799	-45.2%
		PCD		19 886		26 053	31.0%
		PCD+OV		19 886		26 053	31.0%
Eurasia		Peugeot		5 626		8 479	50.7%
		Citroën		4 758		6 345	33.4%
		DS		106		84	-20.8%
		PCD		10 490		14 908	42.1%
		Opel/Vauxhall				307
		PCD+OV		10 490		15 215	45.0%
Total		Peugeot		1 919 460		2 119 845	10.4%
		Citroën		1 140 941		1 055 676	-7.5%
		DS		85 981		52 860	-38.5%
		PCD		3 146 382		3 228 381	2.6%
		Opel/Vauxhall				403 933
		PCD+OV		3 146 382		3 632 314	15.4%
PCD : Peugeot/Citroën/DS
OV : Opel/Vauxhall

*Europe = EU + EFTA + Albania + Bosnia + Croatia + Kosovo + Macedonia + Montenegro + Serbia

**including 443,000 vehicles produced in Iran under a Peugeot licence in 2017

1 As from 1 August 2017, the Group’s scope of consolidation includes the sales volumes of OPEL and VAUXHALL, together representing 403,900 units sold between August and December

PSA Group and Vauxhall-Opel has been agreed for a full take over including finance arm.

Today, EU antitrust authorities approved the proposed acquisition of GM’s Opel/Vauxhall automotive business by Groupe PSA.

This proposed acquisition, announced on March 6th of this year, will position Groupe PSA as the second-largest automotive company in Europe and will serve as the basis of the Group’s profitable growth worldwide. 

The proposed transaction also includes the acquisition of GM Financial European operations by BNP Paribas and Groupe PSA. 

This proposed acquisition of GM’s European financial operations is also subject to EU antitrust authority’s review and the decision is expected in the second half of this year.

On this occasion, Patrice Lucas, Manager of Programs and Group strategy declares: “Today, we have taken a substantial step. The teams are now focused on the achievement of all other conditions necessary for the closing, planned for later this year”.

Well, we fear for the UK Jobs as it is confirmed that PSA WILL take over Vauxhall/Opel - Sad day, possibly !

• Establishes PSA Group as #2 in Europe. This strong and balanced presence in its home markets will serve as the basis of profitable growth worldwide
• Joint venture in auto financing with BNP Paribas to support development of Opel/Vauxhall brands
• €2.2 Bn transaction advances GM’s transformation and unlocks shareholder value through disciplined capital allocation

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) and PSA Group (Paris:UG) today announced an agreement under which GM’s Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary and GM Financial’s European operations will join the PSA Group in a transaction valuing these activities at €1.3 Bn and €0.9 Bn, respectively.

With the addition of Opel/Vauxhall, which generated revenue of €17.7 Bn in 2016¹, PSA will become the second-largest automotive company in Europe, with a 17% market share².

Creates sound European foundation for PSA to support its worldwide profitable growth

“We are proud to join forces with Opel/Vauxhall and are deeply committed to continuing to develop this great company and accelerating its turnaround,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman of the Managing Board of PSA. 

“We respect all that Opel/Vauxhall’s talented people have achieved as well as the company’s fine brands and strong heritage. We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalizing on their respective brand identities. 

Having already created together winning products for the European market, we know that Opel/Vauxhall is the right partner. We see this as a natural extension of our relationship and are eager to take it to the next level.”

“We are confident that the Opel/Vauxhall turnaround will significantly accelerate with our support, while respecting the commitments made by GM to the Opel/Vauxhall employees,” continued Mr. Tavares.

Advances GM’s Transformation and Unlocks Value

“We are very pleased that together, GM, our valued colleagues at Opel/Vauxhall and PSA have created a new opportunity to enhance the long-term performance of our respective companies by building on the success of our prior alliance”, said Mary T. Barra, GM chairman and chief executive officer.

“For GM, this represents another major step in the ongoing work that is driving our improved performance and accelerating our momentum. We are reshaping our company and delivering consistent, record results for our owners through disciplined capital allocation to our higher-return investments in our core automotive business and in new technologies that are enabling us to lead the future of personal mobility.

“We believe this new chapter puts Opel and Vauxhall in an even stronger position for the long term and we look forward to our participation in the future success and strong value-creation potential of PSA through our economic interest and continued collaboration on current and exciting new projects,” Ms. Barra concluded.

Strengthens Each Company for the Long Term

The transaction will allow substantial economies of scale and synergies in purchasing, manufacturing and R&D. Annual synergies of €1.7 Bn are expected by 2026 – of which a significant part is expected to be delivered by 2020, accelerating Opel/Vauxhall’s turnaround. Leveraging the successful partnership with GM, PSA expects Opel/Vauxhall to reach a recurring operating margin³ of 2% by 2020 and 6% by 2026, and to generate a positive operational free cash flow⁴ by 2020.

PSA, together with BNP Paribas, will also acquire all of GM Financial’s European operations through a newly formed 50%/50% joint venture that will retain GM Financial’s current European platform and team. This joint venture will be fully consolidated by BNP Paribas and accounted under the equity method by PSA.

The transaction is another step in GM’s ongoing work to transform the company, which has delivered three years of record performance and a strong 2017 outlook, and returned significant capital to shareholders. It will strengthen GM’s core business, support its continued deployment of resources to higher-return opportunities including in advanced technologies driving the future, and unlock significant value for shareholders.

By immediately improving EBIT-adjusted, EBIT-adjusted margins and adjusted automotive free cash flow and de-risking the balance sheet, the transaction will enable GM to lower the cash balance requirement under its capital allocation framework by $2 Bn, which it intends to use to accelerate share repurchases, subject to market conditions.

GM will also participate in the future success of the combined entity through its ownership of warrants to purchase shares of PSA. GM and PSA also expect to collaborate in the further deployment of electrification technologies and existing supply agreements for Holden and certain Buick models will continue, and PSA may potentially source long-term supply of fuel cell systems from the GM/Honda joint venture.

Additional Information

Terms of the Agreement

Opel/Vauxhall automotive operations will be acquired by PSA for €1.3 Bn. GM Financial’s European operations will be jointly acquired by PSA and BNP Paribas for 0.8 times their pro forma book value at the closing of the transaction, or approximately €0.9 Bn.

The transaction has a total value of €2.2 Bn, for Opel/Vauxhall automotive operations and 100% of GM Financial’s European operations.

The transaction value for PSA, including Opel/Vauxhall and 50% of GM Financial’s European operations, will be €1.8 Bn.

In connection with this transaction, GM or its affiliates will subscribe warrants for €0.65 Bn. These warrants have a nine-year maturity and are exercisable at any time in whole or in part commencing 5 years after the issue date, with a strike price of €1. Based on a reference price of €17.34 for the PSA share⁵ , the warrants correspond to 39.7 MM shares of PSA, or 4.2% of its fully diluted share capital⁶. GM will not have governance or voting rights with respect to PSA and has agreed to sell the PSA shares received upon exercise of the warrants within 35 days after exercise.

The transaction includes all of Opel/Vauxhall’s automotive operations, comprising Opel and Vauxhall brands, six assembly and five component-manufacturing facilities, one engineering center (Rüsselsheim) and approximately 40,000 employees. GM will retain the engineering center in Torino, Italy.

Opel/Vauxhall will also continue to benefit from intellectual property licenses from GM until its vehicles progressively convert to PSA platforms over the coming years.

In connection with the transaction, GM will take a primarily non-cash special charge of $4.0-4.5 Bn.

Ongoing Pension Fund Commitments

All of Opel/Vauxhall’s European and U.K. pension plans, funded and unfunded, with the exception of the German Actives Plan and selected smaller plans will remain with GM. The obligations with respect to the German Actives Plan and these smaller plans of Opel/Vauxhall will be transferred to PSA. GM will pay PSA €3.0 Bn for full settlement of transferred pension obligations.

Closing Conditions

The transaction is subject to various closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and reorganizations, and is expected to close before the end of 2017.

Warrants

The issuance of the warrants is subject to the vote of shareholders at PSA’s General Meeting of May 10th, 2017. The three main shareholders of PSA (the French State, the Peugeot family and DongFeng) representing in aggregate 36.6% of the share capital and 51.5%⁷ of the voting rights of PSA have undertaken to vote in favor of the resolution related to the issuance of the warrants to GM. In the event the warrant issuance reserved to GM and its affiliates is not approved by PSA’s General Meeting, PSA will settle the €0.65 Bn in cash over five years.