PSA JV says China sales of Citroen DS cars are on schedule for 2nd quarter
PSA Peugeot Citroen's Chinese joint venture said it is on schedule to bring Citroen DS cars to China in the second quarter, denying a media report that claimed otherwise.
Changan PSA Automobile initially plans to open 16 dealerships in China, and 13 are under construction, it said Thursday in a statement.
The number of dealerships would double by year end, covering 20 major cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, it said.
The Shanghai Securities News cited unnamed executives as saying that Changan PSA might have to postpone its plan to sell imported DS cars because it was having difficulty finding dealers willing to meet the joint venture's requirements.
Changan PSA, a partnership between PSA and Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., is the French automaker's second car venture in China.
PSA also builds cars in partnership with Dongfeng Motor Corp. The Dongfeng venture sold 404,139 cars last year, compared with Volkswagen AG's China annual tally of 2.3 million units and General Motors' 2.6 million units.
Last year, Citroen signed a deal with Changan to produce the DS5 luxury SUV in China at a 200,000-unit capacity factory in Shenzhen. Initially, the DS5 will be imported along with the DS4 and DS3.
