Citroën and Peugeot will end production of the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108 and withdraw from the traditional city car market, a report suggests.
News agency Reuters, citing three sources close to the brand, claims a decision to leave the A-segment petrol car market has been taken ahead of the PSA Group's merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. No timeline for their removal has been given.
Costly development of engines and exhaust filtration systems to meet ever-tightening emissions laws are making value offerings increasingly difficult to justify. Manufacturers such as Ford and Vauxhall have removed their city cars from the market, while the future of the the Seat Mii, Skoda Citigo and Volkswagen Up trio looks bleak.
PSA has already sold its stake in its joint venture with Toyota, through which the C1 and 108 have been related to the Toyota Aygo and built alongside it in the Czech Republic since 2005.
Although PSA declined to comment on the future of its smallest models, a spokesman for the company said it needed "a reflection with fresh and disruptive ideas" on how best to meet customers small car needs while meeting European Union emissions targets.
Citroën recently launched the Ami, an electric quadricycle that can be driven in some European countries by 16-year-olds without a driving licence. It's capable of just 26mph and only 47 miles of range but can be rented for as little as €19.99 (£17) per month and bought for only €6000 (£5054).
The French firm is evaluating it for sale in the UK.
READ MORE
Merged FCA-PSA group to be called Stellantis
Join the debate
Add your comment
If they're not making money off city cars
If they're not making money off city cars, it's not for the want of trying. I've been looking at replacements for my, nearly, 4 year old Suzuki Swift. I like small cars, so can't be persuaded to buy something that's too big for my needs, like a crossover or SUV so my choice seems to be restricted to an Aygo or a Fiat 500. In Scotland there's only really one Fiat dealership group and their customer service does vary, if you catch my drift, but the deal is sweetened by a reasonable amount of cash off a 500 Mild Hybrid. Presumably Toyota might have done a joint venture with Suzuki to build an Aygo sized model, which might have solved my dilemma, but since there's no profit in it there's no incentive to even try.
A real shame
You have to feel sorry for
You have to feel sorry for new and younger drivers today. They're already more and more limited for choice of vehicles to buy, and its just going to get worse.
No young person really wants an SUV like their parents and grandparents drive, but what option is there going to be? Apparently young people aren't really interested in cars nowadays, its hardly surprising as the manufacturers aren't really building anything to attract them.