Set to launch their first car by July 2020 in India, Peugeot Citroen Group will open their first showroom in the country next month, in Ahmedabad.
Citroen is all set to set foot in India with the launch of C5 Aircross premium crossover later this year. The French automotive brand, part of PSA Group, has a comprehensive long term plan for our market including products that are specifically developed to suit the local tastes.
Ahead of its official launch later this year Citroen has started opening its outlets in the country to generate brand awareness and get people acquainted with its heritage and premium appeal. The first outlet has come up at Ahmedabad. This new Peugeot-Citroen showroom is located on SG Highway. Earlier, at the same venue, there was Nissan-Datsun showroom. Thanks to automotive enthusiast Ishit Purani, here are the first images of the new showroom. We expect to see more such outlets crop up across the country in the coming weeks.
Unlike MG Motors which relies on massive and opulent outlets to propagate a premium feel, Citroen believes in keeping things small and simple. The brand has been experimenting with compact showrooms in France under the La Maison (French for home) banner. The Citroen La Maison outlets are smaller than a standard premium car outlet and are appointed with earthly tones including extensive use of wooden trims.
The La Maison outlets can be as small as 150 sq-m, just large enough to accommodate two vehicles, a small cafe, discussion area and an interactive digital system which facilitates the customers to configure their cars online. Bright highlights and the color theme are aimed at providing a warm home-like experience to customers.
Citroen’s Ahmadabad showroom fits the La Maison concept. Almost all Citroen India outlets are expected to be in line with this minimalist theme. The French automaker believes that an average customer would have done all the necessary research already and the primary purpose of a showroom visit is to get behind the wheel. Hence, a large multi-story showroom with several display vehicles is deemed to be an overkill. The brand says that the data from 17 of its La Maison outlets in its home country indicates customers are more satisfied with the overall experience compared to its conventional large outlets.
The minimalist Citroen La Maison showrooms also reduces the space required by the dealer quite significantly, resulting in proportional reduction in investment costs. The savings to the dealer are enormous in tier-1 cities where real estate prices are eye-watering to say the least.
It would be interesting to see how Citroen India’s unconventional retail approach pans out.