The latest news from an interview at the Paris Auto Show with PSA Peugeot Citroën DS CEO Yves Bonnefont, reveals a few more details about the timing and scope of their announced intent to re-enter the Canadian and US markets early in the next decade with its DS upscale brand.
Bonnefont said to Automotive News Europe that a decision to return to the U.S. would come in 2017 at the earliest, and U.S. sales would not begin until after 2020. The plan to return to the U.S. is part of a global strategy to sell DS vehicles in 200 large cities worldwide after 2020. Of those, 30 would be in North America including 20 in the U.S.
Presumably that means that 10 Canadian cities would be selected such as; Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton. That’s 7. What other Canadian cities would be considered large on a worldwide scale? Winnipeg? Halifax, Victoria? London, Ontario? Hamilton?
We want to make DS a global premium brand, and you cannot be global without the U.S.,” Bonnefont said.
30 cities in us would require a sizable investment, even if they approach sales in a streamlined “Tesla” manner. Or do they partner with an existing automotive channel. Cast a net out to Mitshubishi and try to help their dealers survive?
Since becoming a subbrand in 2010 with the launch of the DS3 subcompact, DS has sold 500,000 vehicles, mainly in Europe and China. PSA decided to make DS a stand-alone brand earlier this year. Before that, it was a division of the Citroën brand. None of the five current DS models is compliant with U.S. federal standards.
Bonnefont said DS will produce six vehicles by 2022 compared with five this year. Could the 6th be a larger sedan?