Citroën do Brasil had its best sales month in January since entering Brazil in 1991, shifting 2,103 vehicles, writes Rogério Louro Alves.
This was 44.7 percent more than sold in December in a month when the overall car market dropped 12.9 percent.
The locally-built Picasso minivan was the key to Citroen’s success, and Brazil’s best-selling minivan with 1,207 registered in January to take 57.4 percent of Citroën sales.
Renault sold 1,002 Scénics in January and Chevrolet 598 (Opel) Zafiras.
The Picasso has been made in the PSA Group plant in Porto Real, Rio de Janeiro state, since the beginning of 2001 alongside the the one-litre, 16-valve Peugeot 206.
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By GlobalDataThe Brazilian Picasso has a unique 118bhp two-litre 16-valve engine, full-colour bumpers and a rear air conditioner.
Thanks to strong minivan sales, Citroën Brazil expects to sell 20,000 vehicles, 30 percent more than last year’s 15,344.
The company will start production of its second Brazilian-built model, the compact C3 hatchback at Porto Real at the end of the year.