Is Dongfeng Citroën a Domestic Car?
3 Answers
Dongfeng Citroën is not a domestic car; it is a joint venture between China's Dongfeng Motor Group and France's PSA Group. Its models include: Citroën C5, Citroën C3-XR, Citroën C3L, Citroën C6, Citroën C4, etc. Taking the Citroën C3-XR as an example, it belongs to the small SUV category, with body dimensions of: length 4282mm, width 1748mm, height 1557mm, a wheelbase of 2655mm, and a fuel tank capacity of 53L. The Citroën C3-XR is equipped with a 1.2T turbocharged engine, with a maximum horsepower of 136PS, maximum power of 100kW, maximum torque of 230Nm, and is paired with a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Dongfeng Citroën is indeed considered a domestic car brand. It's actually a joint venture between Dongfeng and France's Citroën, with production lines entirely located in China. Their factory is in Wuhan—even my relative's Citroën C4L was manufactured there. This joint venture model is quite common, similar to GAC Honda, which bears a foreign logo but is essentially domestically produced. The advantages of localization are obvious: repair parts are easier to find and cheaper. Last time, I bought wiper blades at a county-level auto parts market in just half an hour. The vehicle price is also 30-40% cheaper than purely imported models, and domestic-branded cars enjoy purchase tax benefits. Although the technology originates from France, the chassis tuning has been optimized for Chinese road conditions, making the comfort more suitable for our daily commutes.
I think it's quite reasonable to classify Dongfeng Citroën as a domestic car. I remember when I was a kid, Fukang taxis were everywhere on the streets, all produced at the Xiangyang factory in Hubei. Now, there's also a new production base in Chengdu. Last month, when I accompanied a friend to pick up his car, I saw the manufacturer clearly stated as Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company on the certificate of conformity. The level of localization is quite deep—except for the engine technology patents, the body steel is all from Baosteel, and the interior parts are mostly sourced from Zhejiang. Maintenance is much less hassle than with imported cars. The mechanic at the repair shop near my house said the labor costs for Citroën are similar to those for domestic cars. The prices are also friendly—the top-tier Tianyi model saves you about 70,000 to 80,000 yuan compared to imported cars in the same class, making the installment payments much less stressful.
