Until yesterday it was thought that Peugeot and Citroen’s priority was to conquer the German market. But in an interview with Automotive New Europe, vice president Frederic Saint-Geours said that PSA has “to develop specific offerings for each market”. The French group wants to cover up to 90% of the market by expanding its future range on both extremities. Peugeot and Citroen will offer a low cost model but also, in a very surprising move, some premium models.
No information has been given concerning either direction, but the recent C-Cactus concept car gives us a rough idea of what the French manufacturer is currently working on for the budget model. As I mentioned, the premium models are a surprise. The only current premium model, the Citroën C6, does not sell particularly well despite good reviews from the motoring press. Nobody thought that Peugeot or Citroën would plan to compete with the ubiquitous German cars on the upper segments. This is a good news and I am looking forward to seeing more premium models with a Gallic taste.
Competing on all segments will require considerable resources. In order to cut cost and decrease time development, Peugeot and Citroën product departments will be centralized.
Leave a Reply