The situation of French cars in China is believed to be needless to say, in 5 years, it has fallen from 700,000 to 50,000 vehicles per year, and the decline can be said to have reached a jaw-dropping degree. With the gradual marginalization of the market position, French cars have also suffered a lot of gossip about exiting the market, especially Renault said "goodbye" early under the pressure of the epidemic last year, which makes people more curious about what rescue measures PSA Group has in China next.
The appearance of citroën Versailles C5 X has attracted a lot of market attention, and the new car integrates the characteristics of three models in terms of appearance, including cars, station wagons and SUVs, and gives consumers a fourth choice in addition to cars, SUVs and MPVs in the current increasingly homogeneous market. Secondly, the Versailles C5 X has changed the situation that the configuration of French cars has been unbalanced and the price is inflated. The starting price of 143,700 yuan is not small compared to the past, and the configuration of the entry-level model is already very complete, including 7-inch LCD instruments, 10-inch central control screens, front seats, etc. Since its launch in September, the Versailles CS X has sold 1,026 units in the first full sales month in October, and increased to 3,574 units in November, indicating that the market still has some recognition of this car.
Versailles C5 X is just the beginning, it is obviously impossible to reverse the current decline with just one car, so which model should be introduced in the next car of PSA? I think the brand new Peugeot 308 is a good choice.
308 this car is not unfamiliar to domestic friends, excellent design, good driving experience and reasonable pricing have made this car a strong competitor in the A-class car camp at that time, but unfortunately with the decline in the reputation of French cars in China, 308 was also discontinued in 2019.
The new generation 308 announced the official map in March this year, and the new car was built with the EMP2 platform, and it was completely renewed from the inside out. In terms of appearance, the new car adopts a new family design language, with a flat front with an inverted trapezoidal black intake grille and sharp headlights on both sides, creating a strong visual impact. The side hatchback shape is compact and coordinated, the prominent waist line brings more sense of power, in addition to the hatchback model, the wagon-style 308SW is not absent, and the more elegant body posture is bound to attract more market attention.
In the interior part, the new car also continues the freshness of the appearance, the asymmetrical center console is quite young, the full LCD dashboard + embedded central control multimedia screen and electronic gear, the interior of the car has an excellent atmosphere of science and technology.
In the power part, the European market will be equipped with a 1.2T three-cylinder engine, with a maximum horsepower of 110 and 130 horses respectively, and the transmission system matches a 6-speed manual and an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Of course, if this car is to be introduced into China, it is indispensable to do some localized modifications. For example, in the appearance of both to retain the original high value, the sedan model must not be less, if you can introduce the travel version of the model, I believe it can make it a unique selling point. At the same time, the Versailles C5 X can continue the practice of versailles in terms of configuration and pricing. Finally, in terms of power, no matter how overseas consumers look at it, there is absolutely no way out for the three-cylinder engine to come to China, so it is likely to be upgraded to a 1.6T engine.
summary
Citroen has brought some word-of-mouth changes with the Versailles C5 X, and Peugeot has not yet made any moves, if this 308 can be successfully introduced and modified for the needs of the Chinese people, then I believe that the entire French car will move in a bright direction.