PSA continues to drive down the corporate CO2 levels, taking back the crown for reducing emissions.

PSA Peugeot Citroën recaptured its first place standing in reducing emissions at end 2014 in Europe, with an average of 110.3 grams of CO₂ per kilometre* (source: AAA DATA), compared with an average of 123.7 grams for the European market. Since 2008, the Group has gradually lowered its vehicle emissions by about 30 grams.

The new record illustrates PSA Peugeot Citroën's commitment to finding practical solutions to environmental problems. More than 50% of its R&D budget is devoted to developing technologies aimed at improving the fuel and environmental performance of its vehicles.

PSA Peugeot Citroën's top ranking is primarily the result of its engine downsizing strategy and the introduction of new PureTech 3-cylinder petrol engines, as well as the introduction of new-generation, fuel-efficient BlueHDi diesel engines. In 2014, nearly 30% of vehicles sold by the Group emitted less than 100 grams of CO₂.

Paired with these highly efficient petrol and diesel engines, many Group models are low-carbon leaders in their category. Due to the fact that they represent a significant proportion of European sales, they contribute to an overall reduction in emissions.

The following models are examples of low-carbon leader vehicles:

• Citroën C4 Cactus, 1.6-litre BlueHDi, 100 hp, 82 grams of CO₂ per kilometre
• Citroën DS 3, 1.6-litre BlueHDi, 100 hp, 79 grams of CO₂ per kilometre
• Peugeot 308, PureTech 1.2-litre, 130 hp, 107 grams of CO₂ per kilometre. 

This petrol version also set a new fuel economy record of 2.85 litres per 100 kilometres, covering 1,810 kilometres on a 51-litre tank of fuel.

The recent Peugeot 308 and Citroën C4 Picasso models (built on the new EMP2 platform) and the Citroën C4 Cactus (launched in 2014) weigh significantly less than their predecessors, by 140 kilograms and 200 kilograms, respectively, which is a key factor in reducing emissions.

"The outstanding reduction in CO₂ emissions is the fruit of PSA Peugeot Citroën's advanced petrol and diesel engine technologies but also of its ongoing research to make lighter, more aerodynamic cars," said Gilles Le Borgne, Executive Vice President, Research and Development, PSA Peugeot Citroën. "The Group continues to invest heavily in research and innovation, particularly in the field of plug-in hybrid technologies and new-generation electric vehicles".

*Average homologated NEDC combined-cycle CO₂ emissions of PSA Peugeot Citroën passenger cars registered in 2014 across 22 EU nations (excluding Greece, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta).

Top 20 best sellers for 2014 in France, Surprise surprise, most are French.

The Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 remained the top-selling car models in France during 2014. The Captur and 308 were also favorites of French car buyers. In a flat car market, the Fiat 500 was the only truly new model on the top-twenty list of best-selling car models in France in 2014. No foreign brands were among the top ten most-popular car models in France.

Top 20 Car Models in France in 2014

The twenty most popular car models in France in 2014 according to new passenger vehicle registration data released by the CCFA were:

Position 2014	Position 2013	Car Make & Model	Cars Sold in 2014	Cars Sold in 2013
1	1	Renault Clio IV	105,182	103,172
2	2	Peugeot 208	83,965	90,484
3	7	Renault Captur	62,985	39,629
4	33	Peugeot 308 II	60,842	13,402
5	3	Citroen C3 II	59,627	53,376
6	15	Peugeot 2008	54,161	28,012
7	4	Renault Scenic III	49,068	50,968
8	21	Citroen C4 II Picasso	45,339	23,474
9	5	Renault Megane III	44,791	43,070
10	6	Dacia Sandero	44,357	42,841
11	8	Volkswagen Polo	40,407	39,068
12	18	Dacia Duster	40,167	25,879
13	10	Peugeot 3008	37,970	38,427
14	12	Volkswagen Golf VII	37,131	35,148
15	14	Nissan Qashqai	30,024	28,379
16	9	Renault Twingo II	27,452	39,032
17	13	Toyota Yaris	27,234	29,207
18	11	Citroen C4 II	26,158	36,244
19	17	Ford Fiesta	24,916	26,118
20	28	Fiat 500	22,099	19,006

Source: CCFA / AA Data

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars in France in 2014

The list of the top 10 most popular car models in France in 2014 was once again led by the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208. These were also the only two car models that managed to maintain their exact rank positions from a year ago.

The Renault Clio IV has been France’s top-selling car model since its launch in 2012. In 2014, Clio sales in France increased by just over 2,000 cars compared to a year ago.

The Peugeot 208 has been the second most-popular car model in France since its full year in production in 2013. In contrast to the Clio, sales of the small Peugeot were down nearly 6,000 cars compared to a year ago.

Sales of the Renault Captur increased sharply in 2014 making it France’s third best-selling car compared to seventh a year ago.

The Peugeot 308 II shot up from 33rd to 4th but this is largely due to the practice in France of listing cars according to the model and not just the model name. A year ago, the Peugeot 308 was the 7th most popular car model and when sales of the 308 and 308 II were added together, the model would have been in fourth place overall.

Although sales of the Citroen C3 were higher in 2014 than a year ago, the model slipped two places from third to fifth.

The Peugeot 2008 continued to improve and with almost double the sales from a year ago entered the top 10 list at sixth place from 15th a year ago.

Sales of the Renault Scenic were flat but the model dropped three places from 4th to 7th.

The Citroen C4 Picasso entered the top 10 list at 8th from 21st a year ago but this is again largely due to a new model being counted separately from it predecessor a year ago.

Although sales of the Renault Megane were stronger in 2014, the model slipped to 9th from 5th a year ago. In 2012, the Megane was the second most-popular car model in France, missing out on the top slot by only a few hundred units.

The Dacia Sandero similarly slipped four positions from a year ago despite selling more cars in 2014 than in 2013.

Top 20 Most-Popular Car Models in France in 2014

The VW Polo was again the best-selling foreign branded car model in France in 2014. However, the Polo slipped out of the top-ten list, where it has been the 8th most-popular car model for the previous two years.

The Dacia Duster saw sales increased strongly allowing it to move up from 18th to 12th most-popular car in France in 2014; a position it also held in 2012.

Despite sales slipping only marginally, the Peugeot 3008 has slipped out of the top 10 list in 2014 – it was 10th in 2013 and 9th in 2012.

Sales of the Volkswagen Golf – Europe’s favorite car model – continued to increase in France in 2014. However, the Golf lost two rank places from a year ago.

The Nissan Qasqai – the most popular Japanese car in France in 2014 – similarly slipped one position despite stronger sales.

The Renault Twingo II slipped from 9th a year ago to 16th largely due to a model change. The Twingo III has been selling well since its launch towards the end of 2014 and is the car most likely to reenter the top-ten list next year.

The Toyota Yaris, Citroen C4 and Ford Fiesta all had weaker sales in France in 2014 and all lost rank position but remained amongst the top 20 most popular cars in France.

The Fiat 500 was the only truly new model on the top-20 list – up from 28th a year ago. It replaced the DS3 that slipped to 24th.

The other two top-20 cars from a 2013 no longer on the list are the Peugeot 207 and Peugeot 208 – both cars were replaced by new models.

BusinessCar awards its car of the year title to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

BusinessCar Magazine’s 2015 Car of the Year is the Mercedes-Benz C-class.

The fleet publication’s awards carry particular weight because they are the only accolades in the industry to be decided entirely by the readership of BusinessCar magazine and BusinessCar.co.uk, and the C-class took the top spot ahead of Peugeot’s impressive new 308.

BMW continued to show its strength in the fleet market by taking two headline awards, including Manufacturer of the Year for the fifth year running and Green Model of the Year with its pioneering i3 electric supermini.

Leasing company Alphabet took the remaining headline award as Service Supplier of the Year.

“The new C-class has propelled Mercedes-Benz into the middle of the fiercely competitive premium upper medium saloon marketplace and massive improvements over the previous model have meant the company has picked up its first ever Business Car of the Year prize,” said Paul Barker, BusinessCar editor.

“The C-class currently offers the most efficient diesel in the sector and there’s also a 94g/km hybrid, plus the 48g/km plug-in coming in April 2015.

“But there’s more to the C-class than just efficiency gains. The classier and more sporty looks combine with a serious focus on whole life costs to propel the new model into fleet heartland territory.”

Barker continued: “BMW’s popularity with the fleet industry is clearly demonstrated with its win as Manufacturer of the Year and this is backed up by four car category wins overall.  It highlights BMW as a brand getting it right for fleet across its range, with cars that are appealing, good to drive and great value to run.

“The corporate market is extremely competitive with some incredible products available to help businesses carry out their work. Winners at this year’s awards should be proud that BusinessCar’s readers have picked them out as the best in the industry.”

Other notable winners include The AA, which picked up three awards in the important Accident Management, Risk Management and Vehicle Recovery categories. Volkswagen also picked up multiple awards with wins in the mainstream lower medium, mini-MPV and mainstream 4x4 categories for its Golf, Touran and Tiguan respectively, while Ford, Vauxhall, Hyundai, Kwik-Fit and BCA were also among the winners.

2014 Top 30 brands in Europe, like the UK, no real surprises in the top ten.

In 2014, the Volkswagen, PSA and Renault groups remained Europe’s largest car manufactures with VW, Ford and Opel / Vauxhall the best-selling car brands. In an expanding European car market, all of the top 20 top-selling car marques increased car sales in 2014. The VW Golf was again Europe’s favorite car model in 2014.

New passenger vehicle registrations in 2014 in the European Union and EFTA countries increased by 5.4% to 13,006,451 cars.

Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Europe in 2014 (Full Year)

The largest carmakers and marques in the European Union (EU) and EFTA countries in 2014 according to new passenger vehicle registration data released by the ACEA were:

	Share 2014	Share 2013	Sold 2014	Sold 2013	% Change
ALL BRANDS			13,006,451	12,336,883	5.4
VW Group	25.5	25.1	3,313,435	3,095,392	7
-VOLKSWAGEN	12.5	12.6	1,619,921	1,553,251	4.3
-AUDI	5.6	5.6	726,059	694,600	4.5
-SKODA	4.5	4.1	582,140	511,172	13.9
-SEAT	2.5	2.3	328,334	289,356	13.5
-Others	0.4	0.4	56,981	47,013	21.2
PSA Group	10.7	10.9	1,390,900	1,341,221	3.7
-PEUGEOT	6	6	782,855	739,944	5.8
-CITROEN	4.7	4.9	608,045	601,277	1.1
RENAULT Group	9.5	8.9	1,237,606	1,095,707	13
-RENAULT	6.7	6.5	874,504	801,273	9.1
-DACIA	2.8	2.4	363,102	294,434	23.3
FORD	7.3	7.3	947,951	901,343	5.2
OPEL Group	7.1	7.9	924,275	968,448	-4.6
-OPEL/VAUXHALL	6.8	6.7	885,372	824,787	7.3
-CHEVROLET	0.3	1.2	38,560	143,274	-73.1
BMW Group	6.4	6.4	833,312	794,697	4.9
-BMW	5.2	5.2	676,410	641,196	5.5
-MINI	1.2	1.2	156,902	153,501	2.2
FCA Group	5.9	6	767,856	741,788	3.5
-FIAT	4.5	4.7	586,271	573,674	2.2
-LANCIA/CHRYSLER	0.6	0.6	72,168	74,847	-3.6
-ALFA ROMEO	0.5	0.5	59,198	64,510	-8.2
-JEEP	0.3	0.2	41,378	24,391	69.6
DAIMLER Group	5.4	5.5	708,002	682,651	3.7
-MERCEDES	5	5	652,373	617,244	5.7
-SMART	0.4	0.5	55,629	65,407	-14.9
TOYOTA Group	4.3	4.4	558,459	545,593	2.4
-TOYOTA	4.1	4.2	527,380	521,742	1.1
-LEXUS	0.2	0.2	31,079	23,851	30.3
NISSAN	3.7	3.4	477,183	422,043	13.1
HYUNDAI	3.3	3.4	424,467	422,444	0.5
KIA	2.7	2.8	353,719	339,306	4.2
VOLVO	2	1.9	254,610	230,063	10.7
MAZDA	1.3	1.2	175,028	147,461	18.7
SUZUKI	1.3	1.2	162,828	152,341	6.9
JAGUAR LAND ROVER Group	1.1	1.1	144,442	136,262	6
-LAND ROVER	0.9	0.9	115,826	108,865	6.4
-JAGUAR	0.2	0.2	28,616	27,397	4.4
HONDA	1	1.1	133,268	140,061	-4.9
MITSUBISHI	0.8	0.7	102,364	81,861	25

Top-Selling Carmakers in Europe in 2014

In 2014, the Volkswagen Group expanded it lead as Europe’s top car manufacturing group to more than a quarter of the total new passenger car market. The group’s top-selling marques, Volkswagen and Audi, slightly underperformed the broader market but Skoda and Seat showed strong growth. The “others” in the VW Group is mostly Porsche but also include luxury brands Bugatti, Bentley, and Lamborghini. (Porsche had its best year ever in 2014.)

The PSA Group remained Europe’s second largest car manufacturer despite underperforming the market. Peugeot sales were stronger than the market average but Citroen sales hardly increased in 2014.

The Renault Group had a strong performance in 2014. Renault sales were up 9% but the budget Dacia brand saw sales increase by nearly a quarter.

Ford regained fourth place in Europe in 2014 from the GM Group. Ford sales were just below the market average but strong sales of Opel (Vauxhall) could not make up for the losses of Chevrolet, which withdrew from the European market during the year.

In the BMW Group, BMW sales were just above market average while Mini sales lagged behind, largely a result of a model change during the year.

Sales of the FCA Group were below market average with a mixed performance for the group’s brands. Fiat sales were fairly flat while Lancia / Chrysler and Alfa Romeo were two of only five brands with negative growth in Europe in 2014. However, Jeep (+70%) was the strongest performer of all brands in Europe in 2014.

The Daimler Group also had mixed results. Mercedes Benz sales were just above market average while Smart (-15%) was the worst performing car brand in Europe (apart from Chevrolet). The launch of the new Smart at the end of 2014 should help the brand in 2015.

Strong sales in Europe in 2014 allowed Nissan to overtake Hyundai that had flat sales. Kia sales were also below market average.

Volvo sales increased by 11% while strong growth allowed Mazda to overtake Suzuki in Europe in 2014. Jaguar and Land Rover increased sales but not at the same stellar rate as in previous years.

Honda was the second-weakest performing brand in Europe while Mitsubishi increased sales by a quarter.

Best-Selling Car Brands in Europe in 2014

There were no changes in the rank order of the top 10 most popular car marques in Europe in 2014. Skoda missed out on the top 10 list by only around 4,000 cars. The order remained as follow:

	Brand	Cars Sold in 2014
1	VOLKSWAGEN	1,619,921
2	FORD	947,951
3	OPEL/VAUXHALL	885,372
4	RENAULT	874,504
5	PEUGEOT	782,855
6	AUDI	726,059
7	BMW	676,410
8	MERCEDES	652,373
9	CITROEN	608,045
10	FIAT	586,271