Import

[alexnettles]

I know that they don't sell Citroen's in the US but i think it would be really frickin' cool to have one, so is there any way to import them or are they not street legal in the US? Why don't they sell them here?

[Stefanel1]

If you want a Citroën (or a Peugeot), you'll have to wait 2004-2005, PSA will return in the USA. It's sure for peugeot, I don't know for Citroën.
Peugeot is not in the USA for 10 years because (as Renault, Citroën and Alfa Romeo) they were in a difficult financial situation and they didn't want to spend money in an infrastructure in the USA. So the sells decline and they stop selling cars in 1992. And they made many commercials mistakes : Americans had to wait long to have their car parts, there were not a big network, etc.
Plus, at this time, french cars were quite expensive (mainly in the USA) compared to their fit. VW for example was better, even if the rapport comfort/handling was not as good.
Today, the products are very good (and sold all arund the world : Japan, NZ, Australia, South America, Africa, China, Russia and in all Europe, and in the EU, French cars represents 25% of the market) and divers. PSA has to make a good job and not think that the USA (and Canada) is as big as Denmark or Luxemburg (that's was their big fault) !

[Bill H]

Stefanel. you're close to right with your explaination why Citroen no longer sells here (Citroen hasn't sold here "officially" since 1973- Peugeot was 1992), but looking at it from an enthusiasts' point of view
here in the US, I've heard that rumour about PSA returning so many times now it sounds almost like a skipping CD. This is definitely a case of
"I'll believe it when I see it". Alex, the short answer is no- US safety and emissions standards are so idiotically tight that importing say, a new C5
would be hideously expensive. The older ones are way cooler anyway. What area of the country do you live in? There are a number of people who are well versed in A Series, D Series, SM, and to a lesser extent
CX. Try www.citroens.org (Citroen Car Club of America), www.citroen-ca.com (Citroen Concours of America), and check eBay often.

[Ssom]

Originally posted by Bill H
Stefanel. you're close to right with your explaination why Citroen no longer sells here (Citroen hasn't sold here "officially" since 1973- Peugeot was 1992), but looking at it from an enthusiasts' point of view
here in the US, I've heard that rumour about PSA returning so many times now it sounds almost like a skipping CD. This is definitely a case of
"I'll believe it when I see it". Alex, the short answer is no- US safety and emissions standards are so idiotically tight that importing say, a new C5
would be hideously expensive. The older ones are way cooler anyway. What area of the country do you live in? There are a number of people who are well versed in A Series, D Series, SM, and to a lesser extent
CX. Try www.citroens.org (Citroen Car Club of America), www.citroen-ca.com (Citroen Concours of America), and check eBay often.

Didn't they try sell some XM's in the US at one stage???

[Stefanel1]

You're right Moss106, there was 20 or 30 XM sold in the USA (1990), only ! Good luck to find one. It's a nice car but it had a lot of electric problems at the beginning (untill 91). Then no problems. My father had in 92 untill 94 an XM V6 Station Wagon and drove 90 000 miles with it.

[Bill H]

Hi Moss106- yeah, there were a few XM's exported to the US. Stefanel's
numbers are probably in the ballpark. I know of one here in San Diego, there may be one more. Most CX's, and almost all of the XM's were imported and federalised by a company called CXAuto, who as I understand it were a private company not affiliated with Citroen. Other
XM's were private imports -for example, a foreign national would import a car for themselves, with the rules stating that it could not be resold in the US, and had to be reexported when they returned home. Occasionally these rules somehow wound up getting bent. I guess the whole point is that any XM here is not an official import, gray market only.