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At the Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao Auto Show, DS, a high-end luxury brand owned by Citroen, released the Montmat version of the DS7 model, with little change between the new car and the old model, mainly in details.

With reference to cash models, the DS is designed to be avant-garde and with the romantic temperament of French cars, but the first impression of luxury cars is luxurious and dignified, which does not seem to be found in DS. The whole DS7 car is designed with geometric patterns, and many details of the front seem to be designed through triangles or geometric cut edges, creating a sense of French luxury.

The vehicle uses axe design of 18-inch sports wheels, equipped with electric tailgate power, the new car will use 1.6T 35THP national six engine, maximum power 133kW (181PS), maximum torque 250N ·m, transmission matching Ericsson 8AT gearbox, steering wheel with shift pick, may become the main product of DS 7 in the future.

However, the sale of the new DS7 Marmont version has also failed to change the weakness of PSA Group in China, and the situation of DS has almost reached a marginal state. It is conceivable that the cumulative sales of the DS in 2018 were only 3867. The best-selling model is the DS7, with cumulative sales of 2244 units for the whole year.

In April of this year, cumulative sales of DS were 260 units, down 6% from the previous month. The total sales from January to April were 1104 vehicles. The chart below clearly shows the trend of DS, and the sales volume also reflects the market recognition and brand competitiveness. Among the DS models, the top three models are DS7, DS6 and DS4S in order, compared with 60 for DS6 and 21 for DS4S.

The three models at the top of the list are all SUV models, accounting for 87% of sales. The best seller in SUV is DS7, while consumers like DS4S best in cars. Compared with Volvo, a second-tier luxury brand, Volvo sold 9275 vehicles in April, with a total of 40, 000 from January to April. The total sales of the DS are not as good as those of Volvo alone.

When DS entered China, the banner was the car of the French president. I'm afraid many people are not interested in this. The publicity effect is not as good as that of Cadillac as Elvis Presley's car. Not to mention the French president's car, even the domestic red flag as a symbol of the country's auto industry, sales can only be described as bleak. Elvis Presley drives a VS President's car, the former is more famous and influential, and by the way, target the brand, and it's right that cool people like Elvis Presley drive a Cadillac.

DS's target competitor is BBA, and if DS's competitors in China are locked in second-rate luxury brands, they can still have a certain degree of competitiveness. But DS is inexplicably ambiguous with Citroen models in many ways. From the design, the details of the car are exactly the same as the Citroen models on sale, and even the logo is affixed with the Citroen logo, consumers have formed a psychological positioning, that is, how Citroen has anything to do with luxury brands. In fact, neither Infiniti nor Lexus has any rivals, but reaches the level of luxury cars in terms of quality and price.

DS has never entered China from the perspective of consumers, and still launches products with European thinking. In Europe, French cars are still good at being small. However, the luxury market in China is still generally superior, such as BBA without exception, even to meet the needs of other customers to launch quasi-wheelbase models. However, DS still has its own way in China, and the sense of vehicle ride is not recognized by consumers, which inevitably fails to establish a luxury brand image in the hearts of consumers.

The domestic performance of French cars is still not very good. No matter from Dongfeng Citroen Peugeot or Dongfeng Renault, they all follow their own thinking in Europe, without making adjustments according to the needs of Chinese consumers. If this goes on, I'm afraid French brands can play a supporting role in China.

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