After an excellent first-quarter 2013, when sales rose 31% year-on-year to 142,000 vehicles in a market up 17.5%, PSA Peugeot Citroën is continuing to drive faster sales growth in China, the world’s leading automotive market.
In May 2013, the DPCA joint venture with Chinese car manufacturer Dongfeng sold 46,134 vehicles, representing a year-on-year increase of 31%. Over the same period, the Chinese market grew by 12.4%.
This record sales performance corresponds to a market share of nearly 4%.
Over the first five months of the year, DPCA’s sales rose by more than 32% to 232,960 units compared with the same period in 2012, whereas the Chinese market advanced by 16.4%.
The Citroën C4L already generated more than 15,000 billings in the first five months, even though the major 1.8-litre version was only launched in May. The Peugeot 3008 has also proven very popular, with over 21,000 billings recorded in the five-month period.
These results also reflect the achievements of the China Tech Centre, the Group’s Shanghai-based R&D and design laboratory, which notably came up with the styling for the Citroën C4L and adapted the Peugeot 3008’s design to the specific expectations of Chinese carbuyers.
Aiming for a market share of 5% in 2015, DPCA will launch two new local models in the second half of 2013, the Citroën C-Elysée and the Peugeot 301. They will be manufactured at the third Wuhan plant, which will be inaugurated this summer.
In addition, the CAPSA joint venture with Changan will begin local production of the Citroën DS5 in the second half of 2013 at the Shenzhen facility, which will offer capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year at full operation.