PSA/Peugeot Citroen will emphasise the German market in the future – as a testing ground for reclaiming European market share, according to Automotive News Europe (ANE).
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The new compact-class 308 is currently “being test driven by Germans in Germany,” said PSA/Peugeot-Citroen director Christian Streiff. “It’s Europe’s most important and demanding market.” The 308 will replace the 307 when launched next autumn.
At 3.5m vehicles last year, Germany is Europe’s largest new car market. PSA needs a German surge, as its market share in Europe fell to 13.3% last year from a high of 15.5% in 2002.
Germany has been difficult for the French automaker: when PSA’s European sales peaked in 2002, Streiff’s predecessor Jean-Martin Folz had set long-term goals for the German market share at 6.5 to 10%. But in the past five years, PSA has only increased its market share by 0.2 points, led by Citroen’s heavy price discounts.
