Dongfeng Citroen aims for 400000 automobile sales in 2015

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai April 25) - Dongfeng Citroën aims to sell 400,000 vehicles in 2015, the Information Times reported today, citing a statement made by the joint venture's Deputy Director Lahouari Bennaoum.

In an interview with the paper, Mr. Bennaoum voiced his confidence that Dongfeng Citroën will comfortably achieve its sales target of 263,000 for 2013, and even went as far as predicting its total sales volume for the year to potentially reach 280,000 units to 300,000 units. He also elaborated on the joint venture's 'Midterm Strategy', saying that the JV aims to achieve 400,000 sales in 2015.

Mr. Bennaoum also revealed that four of the JV's models are expected to achieve monthly sales of over 10,000 units and annual sales of over 100,000 units in 2015. They include the C4L, C4 (pictured) and Elysée, as well as a yet to be released SUV model. So far, the C4 has been the only model to meet those expectations. Mr. Bennaoum expects the C4L to meet sales expectations in 2014, while the Elysée and the new SUV will achieve results the following year.

According to Mr. Bennaoum, people have underestimated Citroën's performance in China, due to consumers in the country being unfamiliar with the brand and what sort of experience it offers. However, he points out that the brand in Europe is ranked closely to VW, which he acknowledges has managed to succeed in foreign markets due to a quicker globalization strategy. However, he also stated that he is fully confident that Citroën will be able to turn around its fortunes over the next few years.