Citroen DS3 Cabriolet arrives

UPDATED on August 14 to include more details from the media launch.

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With the launch of Citroen DS3 Cabriolet this week as part of the French marque’s Aussie range expansion, it appears as if the company's plan to increase sales is heading in the right direction.

Poised to take sales from open-air Fiat 500 and MINI variants, the DS3 Cabriolet will augment the trendy DS3 hatchback in the race for sales. The initial Australian allocation of 90 Cabrios arrives in two model variants and looks to be competitively priced – something which Sime Darby has made a priority across Australia’s Citroen range.

Available from $30,990 (plus on-road costs), the entry-level DStyle comes with four-speed automatic transmission as the sole transmission option. It’s powered by the 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol motor also found in the $27,740 DStyle Hatch.

It returns a claimed 6.7L/100km on the combined cycle.

Standard equipment includes black cloth trim, rear parking sensors, LED daytime running lights (and interior mood lighting with courtesy lamp), front fog and rear 3D lights, 16-inch alloy wheels with space saver spare, leather steering wheel with satin chrome insert, cruise control with speed-limiting function, CD/Mp3/Bluetooth capable audio system, automatic air conditioning, tinted rear windows, six airbags, seatbelt warning light and aluminium pedals and foot rest.

The DSport Cabrio (available from $32,990 plus on-road costs) gains the beefier 115kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol from the $29,740 DSport Hatch. Built in partnership with BMW, this engine has been good enough to win the International Engine of the Year gong seven years in succession. With its six-speed manual gearbox (there’s no auto available), it returns a claimed 5.9L/100km fuel usage.

In addition to the DStyle, DSport gains sat-nav, 17-inch black alloy wheels, ‘Hi-Fi’ sound, chrome tipped exhaust, floor mats and carbon effect dash.
Both models feature a ‘Noir Onyx’ black canvas soft-top roof as standard. Capable of being fully closed in just 16 seconds (at speeds of up to 120km/h), Citroen is rightly proud of its design, which still allows seating for five and 245 litres of luggage capacity, largest in class.

Despite the additional engineering required for the fold-down roof, the DS3 Cabrio is only 25kg heavier than the hatchback variants.

Shared options for either grade include Metallic Paint ($800), a roof finish in ‘Bleu Infini’ (both models) or ‘Gris Monogram’ ($800 – DSport only), leather trim ($2000) and, for the DStyle, the sat-nav/Hi-Fi pack ($2000).

As previously reported on motoring.com.au, Sime Darby took over local distributorship of Citroen in February and outlined an ambitious plan to increase sales by 35 per cent this year.

Unfortunately, the current sales figures suggest that there is still a mountain to climb before the European brand can stand at the summit.

VFACTS sales figures to July 2013 show total Citroen sales for the year to date as 713 units, as opposed to 1032 the previous year – a 30.9 per cent drop.
Things improved slightly with the monthly July figures: 130 for July against 151 for July 2012. That’s a 13.9 per cent difference, and perhaps an indicator that rebuilding the brand’s presence is starting to pay off.

One highlight for Citroen is the competitiveness of the DS3, which currently lies third in the 'Light Car >$25,000' segment (behind Alfa Romeo MiTo and Peugeot 208) with 150 YTD sales; a 13.2 per cent segment share.

“Since taking over local distributorship on February 1, Citroen has expanded from 19 dealers to 31, with five more on the way in coming months,” explained Citroen Automobiles Australia chief John Startari at the DS3 Cabriolet press launch.

"This will be augmented by an awareness campaign, which is due to launch in September, and is hoped to drive really the sales message forward."

From January 2014 Sime Darby will also introduce a bespoke DS Zone. In China, DS is a stand-alone, premium Citroen brand, however, without the volume of China, Australia will instead create a unique zone within dealers.

Here, clients will be able to virtually build their DS. A DS Box has live trim and colour samples, while clients will be given tablets that link to a main screen that follows the ‘build’.

“With DS3 we are on target for EOY sales of 560, including the Cabrio variant,” Startari continued, adding: “We forecast 2300 total Citroen sales between July 2013 and June 2014.”

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