Citroën and China

Citroën occupies fourth place in the rankings on the Chinese automotive market. Fielding an extensive range of products adapted to local requirements, the Marque is growing sales continuously on the steadily expanding Chinese market. On a market where novelty and technology are important factors in the decision to buy, Citroën has based its development on a constantly updated range.

The history of Citroën in China stretches back to the company's very beginnings. A pioneer in technology, innovation and marketing, Andre Citroën quickly developed an interest in China. Citroën made its first appearance in this country through the Croisière Jaune, an Asian expedition that crossed China to Beijing in 1932. In July 1985, Citroën took part in the first Chinese motor show in Shanghai and signed a delivery contract for 250 CX vehicles. Between 1980 and 1985, Citroën sold more than 1,600 units of the CX and also introduced the Visa to the Chinese market. July 1988 set the scene for Operation Dragon: 140 young people travelled to China and drove more than 4,500 km from Shenzhen to Beijing in a fleet of AXs.

Sixty years after the Croisière Jaune, Pierre Lartigue and Michel Perin won the first Paris-Moscow-Beijing rally with their Citroën ZX Rallye Raid.

The negotiations conducted by Citroën in China over the years were brought to a conclusion in 1992 with the founding of DCAC (Dongfeng Citroën Automobile Company): a joint venture set up by Citroën

(in Chinese: Xue Tie Long, or "Snow and Steel Dragon") and Dongfeng Motor Corporation. In December 2002, the cooperation between PSA Peugeot Citroën and Dongfeng Motor Corporation was further extended with the founding of a new joint-venture: Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën Automobiles (DPCA).

The Citroën brand is devoting considerable efforts to its long-term future in China. A key factor is the implementation of a dense network in continuous development.

DPCA has a high-performance final assembly plant in Wuhan with the capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles/year, and a powertrain plant producing engines and gearboxes in Xiang Fan. The plant already produces the ZX Fukang (start-up 1992), the ZX Fukang 988 (start-up 1998), the Xsara Picasso (start-up November 2001) and the Elysee (start-up June 2002), the 5-door Xsara and now (2006) the C-Triomphe - a five door, three volume version of the C4.

Peugeot's 206, already built in China is going to be rebadged as C2 - because the Citroën brand is better known in China than Peugeot

More than 350,000 Citroën vehicles have been produced in China.