The Citroën C4 Cactus is one of the brand’s most successful models in recent years, so much so that the automaker has announced it will increase production of the crossover and expand sales outside Europe.
The automaker will sell the C4 Cactus in Australia, South Africa and potentially southeast Asia, Citroën CEO Linda Jackson said. The model has proven to be more popular than the company expected, which is why Citroën decided to offer it outside Europe as well. Initially, the C4 Cactus was only intended for European markets, with Citroën estimating annual sales of 70,000. However, the carmaker sold 74,000 units since the car launched in France in June 2014.
“We are ahead of where we thought we would be and we are increasing production,” Linda Jackson told Autonews Europe in an interview. The executive added that the brand will build 10,000 additional units a year at the Villaverde plant near Madrid.
Citroën CEO also said the car’s success proved that the decision to offer a different car from mainstream rivals was correct. “When people first see it they like or don’t like it. I would rather we had that reaction instead of always being No. 4 on people’s shopping lists,” Jackson said.
She added the C4 Cactus will also inspire future models, beginning with a future compact SUV previewed by the Aircross concept unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this year.
According to market researcher JATO Dynamics, Citroën sold 28,336 C4 Cactus vehicles in the first four months of this year, making it the brand’s No. 3 seller after the C3 supermini and C4 Picasso MPV.
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