Citroën on Monday presented its new top-of-the-range model, an original sedan that displays its ambitions in the Chinese market.
Called "
C5X
", this hybrid of sedan, station wagon and SUV will be manufactured only in China, in Chengdu, and should achieve a large part of its sales there from its launch in the fall of 2021, said Citroën boss Vincent Cobed in an interview with AFP.
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The C5X “
is our top-of-the-range vehicle in Europe.
In China, it will be a tool for winning back and repositioning the brand,
”said Vincent Cobée.
The Stellantis group, resulting from the merger of Peugeot-Citroën and Fiat-Chrysler, is preparing a plan to come back in force to the world's leading automotive market, where it has been failing.
DS, one of the group's premium brands, intends to relaunch there this summer with a classic luxury sedan, the DS9.
A hybrid model
With the C5X, Citroën takes a step aside in this very traditional segment.
Designed for the road, luxuriously equipped, and bought in the great majority by companies, sedans have been shaken for fifteen years by the success of SUVs.
The C5X keeps a slender silhouette but incorporates the large wheels and the high driving position of SUVs and the extended trunk of station wagons.
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In the coming years, “
SUVs will not represent the entire market,
” underlines Vincent Cobée, while the third best-selling car in the world is an SUV, the C5 Aircross.
“
There is a very strong appetite for smoother, more efficient silhouettes
”.
Like other manufacturers, Citroën no longer offers a diesel version on this new model, but a petrol version and a plug-in hybrid, which should represent the majority of sales in Europe, according to Vincent Cobée.