Citroen Grand C4 Picasso goes on sale in China

Shanghai, December 10 (Gasgoo.com) The Grand C4 Picasso, an all-new Citroen model, has been imported to China to fill the Citroen MPV niche market, said auto.163.com today. The launch ceremony of this seven-seat C4 Picasso MPV was staged in Beijing on December 9. Its two versions sell for 276,800 yuan ($40,200) and 306,800 yuan each.

Different from the C4 Picasso, the stylish Grand C4 Picasso MPV was derived from the same C4 platform as the C4 C-Quatre now made in China by Dongfeng Citroen. Chinese customers first got a glimpse of the C4 Picasso MPV at the 2008 Beijing auto show in April and now its imported luxury edition and comfort edition are available in the Chinese market, priced at 276,800 yuan and 306,800 yuan respectively.

Analysts said that it may be due to the low sales of Chinese-made Picasso cars that Citroen (China) has decided to import the new version of this MPV for the Chinese market. But Dongfeng Citroen responded that the locally made model is Xsara Picasso while the imported model is the Grand C4 Picasso based on the C4 platform. The China-made 1.6L and 2.0L Picasso models between 125,800 yuan and 153,800 yuan.

A seven-seat 2.0L MPV model, the Grand C4 Picasso was imported to China to join the current Citroen lineup of three imported models in China including Citroen C6, C5, C4 sedans and coupes. Citroen (China) aims to sell 1,000 units of its imported cars in China this year.

The spacious Grand C4 Picasso (4.59m x 1.83m x 1.66m), slightly larger than other seven-seat compact MPVs like the Mazda5 and Renault Grand Scenic, was named by the Chinese media "an MPV model of the best design" at the 2008 Beijing auto show.