Peugeot leans on Dongfeng tech and sharp styling in China push

Peugeot is leveraging its striking styling alongside innovative technologies developed with its long-standing partner, Dongfeng, to build a more substantial presence in the Chinese market. Peugeot's CEO, Alain Favey, revealed to Autocar that the French company's 24-year collaboration with the Chinese car maker – one of the country’s ‘big four’ – is set to "take a new form” as it looks to increase sales in the region from today’s around 25,000 vehicles per year. Indeed, the French brand revealed two concepts at the recent Beijing motor show – the Concept 6 shooting brake and the Concept 8 SUV – which are both expected to be built by Dongfeng, using that firm's technology. Favey said the concepts, which will spawn two model lines that are initially sold in China, were created to “test the water” of the partnership – and essentially scout out potential demand worldwide. While not confirmed, this is expected to include Europe. It is hoped Peugeot’s design philosophy, with its “feline stance”, will turn heads of potential buyers when combined with new-age technology that Chinese buyers especially have come to expect. This includes more advanced driver assistance systems and enhanced battery efficiency – “in some cases are more advanced than what we can deliver in Europe”, said Favey. “If you go around the Beijing motor show, you see a lot of new cars, new brands, new everything, but actually, I would argue many, not to say all, but most of the cars look very much alike,” Favey said. “There's a lot of uniformity in the Chinese market. We think that using our capacity to bring about a design that stands out, combined with Chinese technology, and also use our know-how in terms of fine-tuning the suspension and road holding, we can get something that can be quite striking,” he added. A further benefit of its partnership with Dongfeng is the speed of development and production. Favey described the risk as “limited”, and if Chinese buyers did not show interest, Peugeot could still sell its new range of cars in other parts of the world. “We can benefit from the Chinese speed in development, which means we can have a time-to-market much quicker than we would if we were to develop the same car in Europe… So, use the technology and combine it with what we are considered to be good at, which is basically a very strong styling that stands out from the crowd.” Favey stated the importance of size in the Chinese market. The Concept 6 measures around 5.2 metres long, which is similar to the existing BMW 7 Series and around 500mm longer than the axed Peugeot 508. Dongfeng produces an extensive range of electric vehicles sold under several subbrands, including models like the Nammi 01 crossover and the Voyah Passion saloon. Several Peugeot models are sold in China as part of the Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën partnership, including the 4008, 5008 and extended-wheelbase 508L. The partnership also launched a new-energy electric vehicle brand, Hedmos, last year. Dongfeng is also investing heavily in electric vehicle technology and battery chemistries. Earlier this year, it announced it was testing a new solid-state battery that could offer as many as 620 miles of range on a charge, while citing stronger cold-weather performance.

main menu

Peugeot leans on Dongfeng tech and sharp styling in China push

New Concept 6 and Concept 8 preview fresh charge in Chinese market – and they could come to Europe too

Add your comment

More from Autocar

Top 10s

Latest car reviews

Top manufacturers

Quick search

Legal bits

About Autocar

main menu

Peugeot leans on Dongfeng tech and sharp styling in China push

New Concept 6 and Concept 8 preview fresh charge in Chinese market – and they could come to Europe too

Autocar Registration Block

Add your comment

More from Autocar

Top 10s

Latest car reviews

Top manufacturers

Quick search

We recommend

Legal bits

About Autocar