Is it that PSA’s French romance is not sexy enough or are Chinese car owners too picky?

When it comes to France, the first impression that everyone has of it is romance. Among them, the luxury brands that have the greatest impact on Chinese consumers are LV, Hermès, Dior, YSL and other luxury brands. The popularity of these luxury brands in China is even higher than in France. In public places, you can always see girls of any age carrying Chanel bags, carrying YSL lipsticks and Dior perfumes in their bags, and browsing their Moments on iPhones.

These luxury brands probably never thought that they would become the "national luxury goods" in China. Countless bags, lipsticks and perfumes have made many girls crazy and of course emptied the wallets of many men. But when PSA Group transferred French romance to cars, it was not so popular.

PSA: Global growth, but China's market plummets

According to the latest data, PSA's global cumulative sales from January to November 2017 reached 2.8902 million vehicles, a slight increase of 3.3% year-on-year. However, from the perspective of major global market segments, Europe, India, Latin America and other markets have achieved growth, but the Chinese market has experienced a sharp decline. Including the later acquired Opel and Vauxhall, the cumulative sales from January to November were only 337,100 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 37.3%.

There is a legend in the Chinese auto market that if imported automakers want to make a big move in sales, they should come to talk to Chinese automakers and everyone can invest together to establish a joint venture brand. After all, in China, the world's largest market, there is a big stage for joint venture brands to develop. In 2016, Volkswagen squeezed Toyota out of its position as the global leader by relying on its sales advantage in the Chinese market. In 2017, more than 90% of Audi's sales in the Chinese market were domestically produced. Acura revitalized the overall situation through its only joint venture model, GAC Acura CDX. But PSA Group slapped everyone in the face. Who said that the Chinese market is so profitable?

CVT and dual-clutch fear lead to slow technology updates

Looking at the models under the PSA Group, the most advanced gearbox is probably the 6AT. At this time, Volkswagen has already mastered dual-clutch transmission, the three Japanese giants (Toyota, Honda, Nissan) have also mastered CVT, and American cars have also begun to use dual-clutch transmissions or even 9AT. Old technologies like 4AT, which used to appear frequently in entry-level family cars, have been abandoned by many domestic brands, not to mention joint venture brands, but are still retained in some family models of Peugeot and Citroen around 100,000 yuan.

In fact, mechanically innovative gearboxes such as CVT and dual clutch can not only optimize driving experience and enhance driving control experience, but also reduce fuel consumption, which is what Chinese consumers pay great attention to when buying cars. Of course, when new technologies are first introduced, there will always be some problems due to the complexity of their internal structure. There have been many negative news about CVT and dual clutch before, but they were solved later.

PSA has always been known for its honesty and integrity. In the automotive industry, there are very few major negative news related to its products. There are only some real reports of declining sales. Once they use new technologies such as CVT and dual clutch, if they are not done well and are exposed negatively, the impact on their image will be fatal. PSA is very stable, but because it is too stable, it has lost the courage to move forward boldly, and it is difficult to achieve outstanding results.

Is it that French romance is not sexy enough or that Chinese car owners have too high standards?

The most distinctive feature of French cars is that they have never lost their creativity in appearance design. When major car companies are promoting their own family-style front faces, French car designers still maintain their core of French romanticism. For example, Dongfeng Citroen C6, this alternative modern beauty is full of artistic atmosphere, and you need to savor it carefully to appreciate it. Although the French have an innate advantage in the field of luxury culture and design culture, how many people can understand it when these things are applied to cars?

Judging from the new Citroen C6 that was launched not long ago and the current new car plans of the PSA Group, the French are not prepared to compromise with the Chinese market and make their exterior design more down-to-earth. Perhaps in the eyes of the PSA Group, their cars are only sold to people who understand them, and it is useless to say anything to those who don't understand. It has to be said that in the environment where major car companies have compromised with the Chinese market, it is very rare for PSA to insist on its own personality. After all, it is the road they have chosen, and they have to finish it even if they cry.

But in 91che's opinion, is the PSA Group placing itself too high in the Chinese market? For example, the Peugeot 4008 is priced higher than the X-Trail, CR-V and RAV4 of the same level. Although DS is positioned as a luxury brand, its brand premium is not high enough, at least not as high as that of luxury brands such as Chanel and YSL. If DS does not have a big price cut, how many Chinese consumers will pay for it?

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.