Citroen Cannot Can Find Chinese Dealers

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

PSA Peugeot Citroen will have to delay its plans to sell imported Citroen DS models in China, the Shanghai Securities News said today. According to the paper, Citroen’s existing dealers in China balk at the high cost of building new outlets, which Citroen wants to be located near other luxury brands, such as Infiniti or Jaguar and Land Rover.

Hours later, Reuters reached a PSA spokesperson that had been in hiding earlier in the day. Reuters was told that the deal is on schedule, and that 13 of the 16 planned dealerships are already under construction. By the end of this year, the imported DS line will be available in 20 major cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, Reuters was told.

This little episode illustrates a common occurrence in the Chinese news cycle: A rumor appears in a paper or one on the thousands of websites that cover the auto beat. Spokespeople cannot be found, or hang up the phone. News stories appear sourcing the article in the Chinese paper. Half a day later, the story is read in Europe, or the U.S. After excited intra-company discussions, the denial follows.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

More by Bertel Schmitt

Comments
Join the conversation
 1 comment
Next