Beware, Volkswagen and Skoda! Renault, Peugeot and Citroen are leading the French campaign to become alternatives to European brands in Australia.

The all-electric Megane E-Tech will be added to the Renault range in 2023.

French car brands have had mixed success in Australia, but there are signs that this may be changing.

Citroën, Peugeot and Renault have been operating in Australia - occasionally - for decades. They have all had major ups and downs, and they have all been relaunched at least once.

While Renault and, to some extent, Peugeot have had some sales success in Australia, Citroen is barely noticeable when it comes to sales figures.

Considering how long they've been in business - 122 years for Renault, 211 years for Peugeot and 102 years for Citroen - it's odd that their legacy hasn't helped create a large buyer base in Australia.

But will everything change?

Each brand saw a significant increase in their sales last month compared to their January 2021 results, which could signal a change in their Down Under fortunes.

Will 2022 be the year when French brands finally take off in Australia? Should Volkswagen and Skoda be worried about the French taking away their semi-premium European crown? We look at what is happening with each brand.

The Arkana coupe-style SUV replaced the much-loved Kadjar in Renault's Australian lineup.

Renault

Renault came very close to becoming a real contender in Australia in the early-to-mid 2010s, with the brand recording its highest ever sales of 11,525 vehicles in 2015.

Renault's strong line of commercial vehicles, including Kangoo, Trafic and Master vans, accounted for roughly a third of Renault's sales that year.

It has been a slow decline since the brand recorded 7099 sales in 2021, up 2.8% from 2020.

Something has changed between 2015 and 2021. Six years ago, the Clio light hatchback was the best-selling model, while the small hatchback and Megane wagon were the main part of the lineup.

The Clio was dropped at the end of this model's life cycle and Renault decided it made no commercial sense to import a new generation version and the only Megane currently available in Australia is the RS hot hatch range starting at north of $50,000. .

Renault also had a false start with the Kadjar SUV. Sharing a baseline with the Nissan Qashqai, the European-made Kadjar did not fare well and was phased out in early 2021, a year after its launch.

It has since been replaced by a coupe-style Arkana SUV that stands out far more than the run-of-the-mill Kadjar. The Arkana also made more financial sense for Renault as it is produced at the Renault-Samsung plant in South Korea.

The next generation Kangoo van is coming soon.

Another change was the local distribution of Renault. Last year, French parent company Renault Australia transferred distribution rights to private importer Ateco Group, and the Sydney-based venture has bold plans to boost sales.

Renault commercial vehicle sales rose to 58% of total sales last year, with the Trafic midsize van leading the pack with 2093 units.

In January of this year, the French brand recorded a 150 percent increase compared to January 2021, when 645 units were sold.

Solid numbers for the newly launched next-generation Captur light SUV, the Arkaka and the aging Koleos (which grew by nearly 2000%) helped the overall result.

This year, the new generation Kangoo will hit our shores and should scare the Volkswagen Caddy. An electric version will also be offered here. More new models are expected to arrive in 2023 when the all-electric Megane E-Tech crossover is expected.

It is not yet clear if Renault Australia will introduce the Austral SUV, which will soon be introduced to replace the Kadjar. Rumor has it that this car will have a three-row version that could eventually replace the Koleos.

In any case, things are finally looking up for Renault.

The 2008 SUV was Peugeot's top-selling model in January.

Peugeot

Back in 2007, Peugeot sold over 8000 vehicles in Australia. Since then, sales have fluctuated between 2000 and 5000 a year. But, finally, his condition seems to be improving.

Distributed by Inchcape Australia alongside sister brand Citroen, the brand recorded 2805 sales last year, up 31.8% from 2020.

If that wasn't enough, Peugeot registered 184 cars this January, up 72% from the same month last year.

One reason for Peugeot's recent growth is the addition of a commercial van lineup in 2019. Like Renault, Peugeot offers a small (Partner), medium (Expert) and large (Boxer) van along with its two passenger cars (308 and 508) and three SUVs (2008, 3008 and 5008).

Minivans aren't selling in the same way as Renault's range, but they're boosting sales, with sales up 12.5% ​​to 162.5% last month.

Last year, the midsize 3008 was the best-selling car (1172 sales), but in January 2008 it was in the lead with 74 registrations.

With the addition of the mid-range GT 2008 class last year and the expected introduction of the all-electric e-2008 this year, those sales will only continue to rise. Plug-in hybrid versions of the 508 and 3008 hitting showrooms should help as well.

Combined with the third-quarter launch of the striking new-generation 308 hatchback and station wagon, Peugeot is currently on a roll and could have a much better 2022.

The new Citroen C4 hit Australian dealerships late last year.

Citroen

Citroen has no brand recognition or Peugeot or Renault lineup recognition and volumes have always been significantly lower as a result.

Back in 2005, 2528 cars were sold here. Last year it was a dismal 175. It was so low that Citroen's sales were outpaced by Ferrari's.

The lack of a product that connects shoppers has hampered the brand in recent years with some notable setbacks. The oddly designed C4 Cactus failed to take off and the C3 Aircross was discontinued after sales fell short of expectations.

Inchcape also changed its LCV strategy in 2019, giving Peugeot the lead in the van lineup. This meant that it made little sense to keep the Citroen Berlingo — Peugeot Partner's twin — in the lineup. Unfortunately for Citroen, the Berlingo was the top selling car.

However, in January of this year, Citroen sales jumped 70.6% to 29 units. Of course, this is still a very low figure, but it is a good result nonetheless.

The new C4, released late last year and reborn as a crossover hatchback, is already generating interest, with 13 cars sold in January.

An updated version of the C5 Aircross is expected to arrive in Australia in the coming months and could give Citroen a boost in the midsize SUV segment.

Later this year, the eye-catching C5 X midsize crossover will land to give the brand a premium boost.

Again, it's unlikely that Citroen will bother Toyota on the sales charts, but these additions will help gradually increase brand awareness and sales in Australia.