The car safety testing body “would like to have more, more and more”, he said.
He added: “To meet the safety regulations of the different states or the European Commission is already something where you have to add a lot of features, additions and so on to the car; that is our job and we do that.”
Koskas said the UK’s ZEV mandate, which requires manufacturers to sell a set percentage of EVs in increasing numbers each year, ensures that a sharp focus will be maintained on reducing the cost of EVs in order to ensure more widespread adoption.
“The mandate is good learning, because, as it’s a step every year. Every year we have to make additional effort, and this will not be done if we are not able to lower the cost. So we need to continue to lower the cost. We have not finished the race for sure.”
More generally on EV sales, Koskas acknowledged that EVs need to be pushed at the moment and the reported sales volumes “are not completely natural” when compared with the demand.
Still, Citroën won’t look to heavy discounts, as this would hurt residual values and the firm wants to help boost sales in a “clean way”.
Citroën’s performance in Europe in 2023 will likely mirror that of 2024, with a market share of around 3.5%.
Koskas said “to stabilise is something I’m quite happy with in tough market conditions”, particularly as it has been a changeover year for the C3, with production stopping for around three months.
With a full year of C3 sales, a facelift for the C4 and a new C5 Aircross SUV coming in 2025, there will be “fireworks for Citroën” and a return to growth, said Koskas, as it looks to push above a 4% market share.
Koskas also believes that Citroën can have a cost advantage over rivals with the C5 Aircross and its more sophisticated underpinnings by being clever about where it sources parts – something it has control over, as the car is the only model built at its plant in Rennes, France.
