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Peugeot-Citroen Still Aiming For 2010 Objectives

France's largest carmaker will stick to its target of selling 4 million vehicles by 2010, despite a tough auto market, as it tries to restore sagging profitability and regain market share.

PARIS (AP) -- France's largest carmaker, PS Peugeot-Citroen, will stick to its target of selling 4 million vehicles by 2010, despite a tough auto market, the company's chief executive said Thursday.

The goal is part of a turnaround program known as CAP 2010, launched last year to restore Peugeot-Citroen's sagging profitability and regain market share.

"In an economic climate much tougher than forecast when working out the plan, I am sticking to our objectives," CEO Christian Streiff said at the Paris Auto Show.

"We now have just over two years to succeed."

Peugeot-Citroen said it is well positioned, thanks to a large range of energy-efficient and low-emissions vehicles. Streiff said 50 percent of Peugeot-Citroen's sales in Western Europe in the first half of the year were for vehicles emitting less than 140 grams of CO2.

The carmaker also presented a new diesel-electric hybrid engine -- with a rear-mounted electric motor that drives the rear wheels while the diesel engine runs the front wheels -- to be fitted on mid-sized and executive models from 2011.