Citroen is bullish about its plans for India and the automaker expects the country to be its second-largest market after France in the next five years. Thierry Koskas, Global CEO - Citroen, spoke about expanding operations in India to PTI recently, which includes bringing new products and increasing its network presence. Citroen, which has been present in India since 2019, will also incorporate its learnings from its presence in the country over the last few years.
Speaking to PTI, Koskas said, "India is an important market for Citroen and in a few years, it will become the second biggest market for us after our home market France. India is probably in the top 10 markets for Citroen, more towards the 10th rather than upwards. So there is a lot of room for improvement, but I think it's absolutely possible.”
Koskas said that he expects the target to be achievable in the next five years. However, he also admitted that there is a lot of gap to be bridged for India to come up to that level. The automaker retails four cars in India - Citroen C3, e-C3, C3 Aircross and C5 Aircross. It will add the Basalt Vision-based coupe SUV to its portfolio later this year.
According to the report, Citroen sold about 9,500 cars in India in 2023, as against 2 lakh vehicles in France last year. The delta is a massive one to overcome for the brand if it wants to gain footing in one of the biggest markets globally. Koskas said that Citroen plans to expand its network presence from 65 dealerships across the country to 200 touchpoints by the end of the year. While network expansion is on the cards, Koskas revealed in the interview that the automaker was also looking to bring a brand ambassador on board to increase brand awareness. Speculations suggest cricketer MS Dhoni has been signed by the brand with an official announcement likely to happen soon.
“We have great expectations to grow in this market. I don't think it's impossible, frankly, because the perspective is really good. If we do things well, if we introduce new cars with the right level of quality with the features that young people are requesting, and we are improving on this one, and once we do that, I think that the brand can grow very significantly,” he added further.
Citroen will also expand its existing product lineup to accelerate sales. Koskar confirmed that the company plans to add more features to the range, which has been a long-standing concern with its Indian cars, especially when compared to rivals.
With Inputs From PTI
