Citroën will show the first of its new ‘C-line’ value cars in just over 12 months, according to its CEO, Frederic Banzet.
In an trade press interview, Banzet revealed that the C-line brand will be the final link in the repositioning of PSA’s Citroën, Peugeot and DS brands.
The first C-line car is expected to be the replacement for the ageing Citroen C3 supermini, which is described as being “competitively priced” rather than a low-cost rival for Renault’s Dacia brand. Banzet says that the model was “inspired” by the radical C-Cactus concept from 2007.
The DS line will become a stand-alone marque, with a view to charging the same kind of premium prices as German brands and an eye on serious growth in China. Peugeot will attempt to take a more upmarket slice of the mainstream European market.
Citroën’s mainstream models — the C-line — will be pitched at buyers who seek a balance between cost and functionality.
According to Banzet, the production costs of the C-line models will be held down by simplifying the range line-up and, for example, reducing the number of drivetrain options.
However, Citroën says that it will avoid falling into the trap of competing purely on price and will use bold styling that “really sets us apart [from rivals]”.
Citroën planners figure that ‘characterful’ styling has proved — via the Fiat 500 and DS3 — to be a very effective way to add perceived value to a model.
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Wrong Wrong Wrong!!!
OK - so PSA has sold a few DS3's and has got a little over excited. The DS3 is a great and sucessful car. Not seen many DS4's or DS5's about so perhaps the sucess is limited and older drivers in need of larger cars will not buy French after years of unreliability and painfully poor residuals.
If they are going to do this Citreon should be the brand on the DS models. Use the line of the original DS and the CX. Beautiful cars. And if Citreon could sort out their reputation for fragility, they could possibly offer better residuals so that people might actually buy them (unlike the poor old C6 - a great car but a financial disaster).
Peugeot should be the cheap brand. Following the line of cheap fun cars like the 205 and 306. They need to junk their current range of junk, overweight, ugly, wooden, dull cars. I also rememeber the basic but indistructable 504 estates that were everywhere in the 70's.
Quite why PSA needs a third failing brand is anyones guess.
Upmarket Peugeot hahahahahahahaha
I presume that moving 'upmarket' for Peugeot means that in future they will be supply a breakdown truck with aircon and leather seats?
I said it before that Citroen
I said it before that Citroen should have the DS models as their mainstream range.They could have priced it between the current C and DS models without the usual discount so as to protect the future value of the cars.The PSA strategy seems misguided to say the least.