Following Dongfeng Group’s acquisition of a 14 percent stake in PSA Peugeot Citroën in March 2014, the two companies have announced they will deepen their collaboration.
PSA and Dongfeng will jointly develop a global platform for B- and C-segment cars from the Peugeot, Citroën, DS and Dongfeng brands. The “Common Modular Platform” (CMP) and will become PSA Peugeot Citroën and Dongfeng’s new generation platform for B-segment and entry-level C-segment cars.
The automakers will spend €200 million to develop the platform, which will become operational in 2018. 60 percent of the sum will be committed by PSA and 40 percent by Dongfeng. The new platform will allow the two partners to build vehicles in their respective growth regions and will support as many as 20 models from sedans to SUVs.
The CMP architecture will underpin the next-generation Peugeot 208 and Citroën C3, as well as entry-level compacts such the next Citroën C4 Cactus. An upcoming DS subcompact crossover will be the first model based on the new platform when it launches in 2018.
In China and the ASEAN countries, PSA Peugeot Citroën will benefit from Dongfeng’s supplier base expertise, allowing it to meet cost targets in highly competitive segments.
The two partners also said they would create a joint R&D center based in Shanghai, which will be dedicated to developing products and technologies for fast- growing Asian markets.
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