Citroen today revealed its strategy for India and it has outlined the cars that will launch in India starting 2020. The company said that the C5 Aircross will be launched in the country in 2020 and it will launch a new car every year till 2023. The entry into India is part of larger “Push to Pass” strategic plan which is part of Groupe PSA’s vision of becoming a global automaker. Though the launch of the cars is more than a year away, the company has already set itself a goal when it comes to market share.
Emmanuel Delay, Senior VP, PSA Groupe, said, “Planning (India) project based on little less than 2% market share, though we could do better. But we are not dependent on a massive share like 5 per cent.” The company said that it plans to achieve the realistic target of 2 per cent market in the country in 4 to 5 years after entering the market.
Speaking about building the brand in India, Citron India – Senior VP Sales and Marketing, Roland Bouchara said, “India is a unique market and Indians are adopting new technologies at a very rapid pace. To support our range of unique new products and our in-depth study of the Indian market, we have planned for a unique customer experience which will enable us to be the new digital reference for seamless customer experience in the Indian automotive market. We are planning to introduce a digitally disruptive, omni-channel customer journey to deliver ATAWADAC (AnyTime, AnyWhere, AnyDevice, AnyContent) experience to customers.”
Speaking at the brand launch, Groupe PSA – Chairman, Carlos Tavares said, India is an important next step for Groupe PSA, as part of the Push to Pass plan to increase our international footprint and revenues. With the introduction of Citroen, our aim is to ‘be Indian in India’ and our association with the CK Birla Group, will be important to become a major player in the Indian automotive market. Globally, we have been successful in Europe and in other parts of the world because of our unique automotive experiences and delivering mobility solutions to meet our customer expectations. We really believe that India is a strong opportunity for growth and our commitment, professionalism and agility of our teams, combined with the pursuit of operational excellence, will sustainably drive our performance and increase the satisfaction of our future customers in the country.”
Citroen also stressed on developing models which will come with heavy local content. The vehicles which will come to India post the C5 Aircross will have high localisation content and that would be over 95%. The company also has plans to export its cars which will be made at the company’s facility in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu.
The company already has a plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, which manufactures and supplies engines and transmissions for its global and domestic businesses. In fact there are plans to export engines and gearboxes too to global markets which will help in optimum utilisation of resources for the company. Citroen India has already gone live with its website and will start the Dealer-Partner live tour from July 2019.
Source: Read Full Article