Automotive News Europe - December 2019 - S11

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

TALK FROM THE TOP

Will the vehicles appear as other PSA
brands?
No,
C Cubed is a Citroen program.
What are Citroen's goals for expanding outside of France?
Will there be an inexpensive EV in
It's the second part of our journey. We that lineup?
have consolidated in Europe and in- The vehicles we launch in India will have
creased our sales. Now we need to an electric version. But if we come back
be more international. There are three to Europe, that is one of the reasons we
parts to our growth plan. We still have are testing the Ami One concept [shown
aspirations to grow in Europe, where we at the 2019 Geneva auto show]. I've
have a 4.8 percent market share and never done a concept car that I haven't
want to get that to more than 5 percent. in some way tried to bring to market,
The second is that we are rebuilding our and that may be true of the Ami One, but
operations in China. It's our No. 1 mar- many, many people have tried to [bring
ket outside Europe, so we have to do it. an inexpensive electric car to market],
The third is new frontiers, starting with and it's tough to make the business case
India. We are developing a line of vehicles for India that we call "C Cubed" for You have also said that Citroen will
Cool, Comfort and Clever. They will be have a new midsize car. What is the
manufactured in India, starting in 2021, status of that project?
How much of the cost of emissions and we will have more than 90 percent We will have a D-segment car in our
local integration. It's a completely new range. It's a business case I need,
compliance can you pass on?
vehicle
program, and we will adjust it especially for China, where there is
The cost of doing business at the mostill a strong sedan market. It will be
for
other
markets.
ment is electrification and autonomous
launched after our new C-segment
cars and driver assistance technology. To Is this PSA's answer to Dacia?
hatchback. If you go back to the CXpesurvive you need to invest in all of these No, and this is no disrespect to Dacia.
rience concept from 2016 [at the Paris
things. The question after that is: How These vehicles will have the same ele- auto show], that hints at where we are
much can you charge your customers? ments as a Citroen, with a unique and going. It is not about doing a traditionLet's be honest: an electric car or plug-in attractive design as well as comfort fea- al three-box D-segment car with lots
hybrid costs more. [PSA Group CEO] Car- tures relevant to that market. The way of chrome and leather, but to come up
los Tavares has compared those costs to we can make it cost effective is to build with something that is refined, unique
paying more for organic food. I think that it in India or other markets.
ANE
and with ultra-comfort.
comparison makes sense.
What are the sticking points preventing consumers from buying EVs and
plug-in hybrids?
For a manufacturer, it's about educating people about what electric cars are.
PSA is launching lots of new electrified
vehicles next year, but at the same time
we are launching a suite of services that
will show you where you can park, where
you can charge, real-time range and
other things through your smartphone.
We need those services to address the
concerns that people have. For example,
one customer asked if he could charge
his vehicle when it rains. Once people get
into an EV, they love it, but you have to
take away their fears, some of which are
real. We need to have a very simple, clear
message that it's not just about having an
electric car but how do you live with one.

vehicles, which make up 20 percent of
our sales.

What is Citroen's electrification strategy and timeline?
We will launch the C5 Aircross plugin hybrid next year. After that we will
launch a new C-segment [compact] car
with a full-electric variant.
Will that car be the first EV on PSA's
EMP2 platform or will it be based on
the CMP architecture?
It's on the E-CMP platform, so it's the
first C-segment car on the CMP platform.
It will replace the C4 Cactus, which is
also on a stretched B-segment [small
car] platform, for us in Europe. It's a very
important launch. Starting next year every model we introduce will have either
plug-in hybrid or a full-electric version,
depending on the platform, as well as
diesel and gasoline variants -- as long
as diesel is relevant. By 2025, 100 percent of our range will have electrified
versions. That includes light-commercial

2019

In Partnership with

The C5 Aircross plug-in hybrid, which arrives next year, is a key
part of Citroen's electrification plans.

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Automotive News Europe - December 2019

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