Thierry Koskas, the new head of Citroën, has finally clarified the brand's positioning by definitively ruling out the possibility of it one day becoming a so-called low-cost brand, preferring instead to be a popular brand based on proximity and accessibility. In short, isn't this so-called generalist brand positioning a real opportunity for the Chevrolet brand to make a comeback?
With this positioning at the heart of the market, Citroën will finally find itself as the only French brand in this niche, since Peugeot, like Renault, has the desire to hunt at the top of the range. If the positioning of the Lion brand is clearly that of a high-end generalist brand, with Volkswagen as its target competitor, Renault seems to be following the same path by launching a real offensive in the C-segment with the Austral, Espace or even the new Rafale, whose copy of the Peugeot style does indeed indicate its target. If the Diamond brand moves upmarket to make room for Dacia in the accessible segment, Citroën will be the only French brand in this niche and this could be a real opportunity for it.
Dacia is still a low-cost brand, qualified as essential because low-cost is pejorative, whose main quality is to sell cars cheaper than its competitors. And it pays off because the sales of the Romanian brand are in good shape with a Sandero that occupies the first place in sales to individuals in France and in Europe. Moreover, Dacia is making progress all over Europe, ahead of Citroën and sometimes even Renault in certain countries. This accessible price positioning is all the more pleasing as Dacia has managed to hide this cost hunt in an increasingly neat style. In view of this success, it would be madness to leave the Romanian brand alone in its kingdom without trying to compete with it, and that is exactly what Citroën intends to do, even if it will not be clearly ahead of Dacia. In fact, if the future C3 and C3 Aircross, in their entry-level versions, will compete well with the Dacias, they will in fact attack the top-of-the-range versions of the Romanian brand, those that it sells most elsewhere. The top-of-the-range versions of the future C3 and C3 Aircross will remain generalist models for the core market.
Citroën will therefore have a positioning that sets it apart from Dacia, which will continue to be a major brand in the B-segment for at least a few years, and will soon be attacking the C-segment. Citroën will then be the only French brand at the heart of the market, present in all segments with reasonable prices compared to those of Peugeot or Renault, which are targeting the top end of the market.
We can therefore see here that Citroën's strategy of remaining a generalist brand, well positioned in the heart of the market, while seeking to have prices for the entry-level C3 and C3 Aircross that compete with the best-selling versions of Dacia, is perhaps a very successful strategy as it will be the only French brand to do so. Above all, the other brands are also tending to move upmarket, like a Skoda for example, with increasingly high prices, leaving room for Dacia today and Citroën tomorrow to capture the share of customers who do not put all their money into their car, as the famous AX slogan said...