Dongfeng Citroen to announce new brand positioning

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai November 8) - "Citroën will never be an economy brand," Chen Xi, general manager of Dongfeng Citroën stated in an interview with the China Youth Daily earlier this week. Mr. Chen also announced that the new Citroën C3-XR will make its official market debut on December 21. At that time, Dongfeng Citroën will publically announce a new brand positioning.

Mr. Chen's comments were made in response to recent reports that PSA Group has determined that the Citroën brand will occupy a lower market position compared to the Peugeot and Citroën DS brands. Representatives from Dongfeng Citroën have taken issue with this assessment, stating that PSA Group does not fully understand the Chinese market, nor does it understand Dongfeng Citroën's brand image, product positioning, target audience and consumer expectations. They added that Dongfeng Citroën has already communicated with PSA Group and received their approval to designate the brand's positioning.

According to its new marketing strategy, Dongfeng Citroën plans to sell 400,000 vehicles in 2015. The joint venture has already released the luxury C5 sedan and C4L compact. Dongfeng Citroën has enjoyed steady sales from its current market positioning. If it is reassessed as a economy-class brand, not only will the JV be unable to fill its sales target for next year, it will waste all of the progress it has made over the years.

The Citroën C3-XR, which will make its market debut by the end of this year, will be displayed at the Guangzhou International Automotive Exhibition later this month. Dongfeng Citroën believes that the new SUV, the JV's first, will play a crucial role in its development strategy as it aims to target younger and more fashionable buyers.