Citroën has made history in the UK by selling more than 100,000 vehicles in a year for the first time ever, beating its previous best figure by more than 11,000. A spokesman said the year-to-date figures had reached around 101,500 units.

Registration figured to the end of November from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed Citroen had registered 80,418 cars and 17,296 LCVs.

Throughout the year Citroën has been one of the leaders in reducing prices and, with a 75% increase in car sales in the last three months alone, it claims this is evidence that buyers – and private buyers in particular - appreciate the value for money that the company's vehicles represent.

The recently introduced Xsara Picasso, which was the UK's best selling compact MPV in October and November.

The Berlingo Multispace has experienced a huge growth in popularity with sales trebling in 2000, whilst sales of the Synergie have risen by 20%.

The entire Citroën range has proved popular, spearheaded by the Saxo supermini which, with its sporty Furio, VTR and VTS models, has contributed some 44,000 units and has helped give Citroën a much younger buyer profile.

Citroën has strengthened its appeal in the van market too, with sales accelerating by over 25%, and in September alone it took a record 9% market share to become the second best selling light commercial manufacturer in the UK.

Managing Director of Citroën UK Ltd, Alain Favey, said: "This is a fantastic result in a year when the UK car market has remained largely static and it confirms that Citroën are giving customers just what they want, with high quality products at sensible prices."