The C4 Cactus went on sale in France in June and has been rolled out to other European markets, racking up sales of more than 50,000 units so far, Citroen CEO Linda Jackson said.

"Sales are above expectations," Jackson said in an interview at the Geneva auto show this week. "It's also a new chapter for the Citroen brand."

This year, deliveries of the C4 Cactus will expand into Turkey and North Africa. Launches are also being considered in China, Japan and South Korea, Jackson said.

Under PSA Peugeot Citroen CEO Carlos Tavares, Citroen is attempting to position itself as an exciting budget brand. Meanwhile, sister brand Peugeot will challenge upscale mass-market brands like Volkswagen.

The repositioning is crucial to PSA's turnaround plan after a brush with bankruptcy led to a 3 billion euro ($3.4 billion) government-backed bailout last year. The French state and Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Corp. each took 14 percent stakes in PSA as part of the bailout.

China has become PSA's largest market, reflecting the addition of 100 dealerships and an expanded product lineup. Last year, PSA sales in China jumped 32 percent to 734,000 vehicles.