For several years Peugeot have been readying to expand their line up but their JV partner Dongfeng is already stretched out with its Honda, Nissan, Kia, and PSA JV’s which have left each partner fighting for production capacity and engineering time from their Chinese partner, however a partnership with Chang’an will give Peugeot a mighty new South Western market in China into which they can expand, as Peugeot appear to be appealing to mostly East coast consumers and the interior market remains untapped.
From Bloomberg Business Week:
The venture will produce passenger …

PSA have been eager to get a third joint venture started in China, they currently have their JV’s Peugeot and Citroen JV’s with Dongfeng, PSA could feel that Dongfeng are overstretched with their other car producing JV’s which also include, Honda, Nissan, and Kia.
PSA found itself in a three way battle between Chang’an, Volvo, and Geely. With Geely taking over Volvo, and somehow managing to carry on the Volvo-Chang’an JV, as well as building its own Volvo cars in a new Beijing plant.
Chang’an have also found major success …

As Peugeot are planning to up their market share to 8% of the Chinese market, they are going to need some new models. Their current Chinese model is entirely made up of hatchbacks, and then sedans which are essentially notchback versions of the hatches, although Peugeot have stated before that they do plan to build some China only models which will take in various Chinese ideas and styles for the local market. Peugeot is currently lacking a crossover model in a market where crossover and compact SUV’s are king, hence …

Peugeot clearly have some high hopes for the Chinese market, but it appears that they are planning some major new models such as the Pug 408, and the Pug 3008 crossover, both of which are expected to make a splash this year.
Reuters:
PARIS/BEIJING, Jan 25 (Reuters) – French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen (PEUP.PA) wants to grow 30 percent in China this year, with a long-term goal of obtaining an 8 percent share of its booming market by 2016, a senior executive said on Monday.
Several 408 sedans rolled into a cavernous …

The Dongfeng built Pegeuot 408 is set to launch tonight in China with a series of four models, pricing is also expected to be around 120,000rmb which puts it squarely against the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and also Roewe 550 in a hotly contested segment.
This is the first mid size sedan from Peugeot since the Peugeot 504, which was built in a disastrous partnership with Guangzhou automobile at the turn of the century. The Chinese built 408 will be coming with the choice of 1.6 and 2.0L engines and also …

Peugeot Citroen were stumbling a few years ago with a stale line up of cars that was far from popular, however, recent car launches in China such as the updated Peugeot 207 and the Citroen C4 hatch and new sedan have improved their fortunes in the PRC. PSA are hoping to capitalize on these gains and introduce new vehicles via a new Chinese factory.
PSA have realized that small cars are the future, and plan to introduce more small cars into China such as the 107 and C1, and also plan …

Perhaps they are over estimating their figures:
Peugeot-Citroen, the French manufacturer of cars, has shared that it is expecting the Chinese automobile market, which recently outraced the US market to become the world’s biggest market for automobiles, to continue expanding at a very strong pace.
The firm said that it believes that compared to 2009, the market would end up expanding another 10%-20%.
Head of the Peugeot and Citroen brands, Jean-Marc Gales, said that the European market will most probably contract by a one-figure percentage point over 2010, while also sharingPeugeot- Citroen manufactured …

The Peugeot 408 is going to be the first big Peugeot produced in China since the demise of the Guangzhou-Peugeot JV which saw the Pug 505 and 504 produced in China in the late 90′s and early 00′s. The launch of the ancient car into a fast growing market was a disaster for Peugeot, which lead to them signing up with Dongfeng a few years later and introducing new models. The 408 will take Peugeot into the mid size sedan segment, a segment that is controlled largely by the Japanese …

The Chinese built Citroen C5 was launched today at the Dongfeng-Citroen joint venture. Citroen was one of the early European companies to enter the Chinese automobile market, and they stayed content with building their Citroen ZX in China whilst rarely introducing new models, sales figures reflected this and kicked Citroen into gear. Dongfeng-Citroen quickly put the popular Citroen C4 saloon into production (however, under a different name) then introduced the well selling Citroen C4 hatchback, before yet again producing a China only Citroen C4 hatch which is smaller (and more …

Ok, this might read like an advertisement for Dongfeng-Citroen who are very soon going to launch the fantastic Citroen C5, but this is all totally above board.
A Chinese netizen posted the following pictures to the popular Xcar.com.cn forum for automotive enthusiasts, it could be that the netizen in question is a member of the driving team that took the Chinese built Citroen C5 through its paces in South West China, but perhaps not. The Citroen C5 team were apparently on their way to the city of Shangri-la, a once …

In China, it certainly seems that mid size sedan segment is controlled by the Japanese and German automakers, but soon the French plan on getting in on the action too.
A Dongfeng-Citroen built C5 is set to launch next month pushing the first mid sized French sedan back into the market since the disastrous launch of the Peugeot 505 in the mid 90′s.
The Citroen C5 is expected to cost beween 200,000rmb and 300,000rmb, although there are rumors of a sub 200k entry level model. The C5 will find itself some stiff …

The rumour mill is in overdrive as per usual in the Chinese automotive press, with rumours that the Peugeot 408 is going to be produced in China.
Dongfeng-Peugeot have been keeping a lid on any plans for a Pug 408 for the Chinese market and have so far relied on the import method which has netted them a few sales. If it is to be launched in China it’s expected that the 408 will use the same 2.0/2.4l engines that soon to be launched Citroen C5 will use, and will most …

Hafei and the French automaker PSA have long been rumored to be putting together a joint venture in China that would probably see Hafei and PSA building Citroen MPV’s in the Chinese marketplace, but talks seem to have been on going since mid 2007 with not much in the way of action since then,
The potential for a Hafei-PSA JV shows that Hafei arent quite ‘over‘ as previously thought.
According to recent reports, PSA and Hafei have resumed their talks on creating the JV which seemed to have stalled sometime ago due …

The Citroen C5 has long been rumoured to be produced in China, but this is the first time it has actually been spotted out.
The upper mid size sedan segment has had a fair amount of action this year with the launch of the Nissan Teana, the new VW Magotan TSG/DSI model, and the new Buick Lacrosse being launched as well. Obviously Citroen would like to improve sales in China, and sees the best way of doing so is via launching new cars in China from their vast European portfolio. …

The mid size sedan segment has already been taken over by the Germans and the Japanese automotive manufactures, but the French are not willing to give up without a fight, especially Citroen.
Citroen plan to launch the second generation Citroen C5 into China later this year according to Chinese media reports. The C5 is expected to be on the market towards the end of 2009, but the Peugeot 408 is not expected to follow in its footsteps.
In the past few years Dongfeng-Citroen has stalled in the Chinese marketplace, but a recent …

The Citroen C4 sedan is set to launch in China later this year, but in the meantime the compact sedan is still out roadtesting in rather poor camoflauge:
The Citroen C4 was launched in China with a new name, the C-Quattre, and has sold reasonably well since its launch. The sedan will possibly do better sales wise than its hatchback brother, due to the Chinese appetite for compact sedans.

China Car Times always thought that the Citroen C-Triomphe was a China only sedan model based on the existing European Citroen C4, but according to the Chinese motoring press, Dongfeng Citroen are working on building a sedan out of the Citroen C4, and is oddly codenamed ‘BX3′ the same as the 80′s BX3 with odd suspension! The report goes on to say, when launched the BX3 will come with the choice of a 1.6 or a 2.0l engine. As we here more information about the new BX3, we’ll keep …

The Pug 206 is a popular car in the PRC, especially with women, the facial upgrade, and the addition of the trunk may make at least some men interested in the Gaelic bubble car. The above picture shows a Chinese 207, pictured against the Euro 207. From what CCT understands, the Chinese ’207′ is just a facelifted 206, the front end may have changed, but that seems to the only change so far. We will keep you updated on this model.  

The Peugeot 206 is a popular small car in the Peoples Republic of China, despite it being an ‘older’ car that has since been improved in Europe in the guise of the newer 207 model, the 206 continues to sell well in China.

The Chinese 206 is to be given a facelift to look more like the 207, but not actually become the 207. Let us explain further: The Brazillian automobile market also received the 206, but in May 2008, Peugeot Brazil decided to bring the 206′s design inline with the …

The Citroen C1 is quite possibly the coolest super mini to ever come into China, in fact, it might actually be the only super mini from a foreign contender that has dared to go into the 60,000rmb and up price bracket, unless of course you count the Chevrolet Spark.

The Citroen C1 is to be made via the Citroen-Dongfeng joint venture partnership, and should be on the market by September 08. The C1 will be equipped with front airbags, MP3 player connections, and ABS, priced at 60,000rmb and rising for …

The beautiful Citroen C5 will be produced in China from 2009 onwards, alongside a recently announced but yet to be developed Elysee hatchback.
The Citroen C4 was announced in China several days ago, and will officially hit the market in September priced from 140,000rmb and rising. The C4 was given the name Citroen C-Quatre for the Chinese name, or in Chinese: 世嘉, lit ‘world winner’

The C-Quatre will be powered by either a choice of 1.6 or a 2.0l engine, paired with VVT technology.  Dealers will begin accepting deposits on the …

Citroen have a very nice line up in China, that appears to be bringing out new models all the time. The Citroen ZX is finally going out of production in China, but will replaced by the recently updated, China only, Citroen Elysee hatchback. The ZX has run its course in Europe, and will finally be laid to rest ten years after it was last produced in Europe, the ZX has proven popular since it was introduced into China.
Another new model that Dongfeng Citroen will introduce is the C4. Despite being …

The below Citroen C-Triomphe was crushed by a landslide in the recent earthquake in Sichuan, but despite its roof collpasing the car was able to drive normally according to recent press reports.

We like the French, especially Citroen. Citroen has that excellent knack of announcing something at just the right time, last time it was the Spanish Chairman Mao advert that made many Chinese angry, the very next day Citroen announced the C4 was to be made in China.
Yesterday, Citroen announced that that mid level Citroen C5 would go into production in 2009, and the C4 would see PRC production in 2008.
China Car Times does prefer the Citroen line up to the Peugeot line up! The 207 and the 307 have that …

The face lift awarded to the Citroen Elyesee makes it look almost worth while in 2008.
 
 
 
The Eylsee is one of the first models that was designed and sold by PSA-Dongfeng specifically for the Chinese market place. The latest incarnation of the Elysee will start at 70,980rmb for the base model. The previous gen Elysee has proven popular thanks to its good quality, and relative trouble free quality. The Elysee falls into the same class of car as the VW Jetta – both are old cars …