French car manufacturer Citroen is going to launch their cars in India soon and they are already planning to set up dealerships in India. The brand will be setting up showrooms with the ‘La Maison Citroen’ concept. ‘La Maison’ translates to ‘Home’ in French and the brand already has 17 showrooms set up worldwide under this concept. The La Maison Citroen concept was launched in 2017 and it requires very less space, as small as 150 square metres to set up. Citroen is planning to adopt this concept upon their arrival in India.
Citroen has data which shows that its customers usually do most of the research about the car which they want to purchase online at home before they visit the showroom and this led to the concept of La Maison Citroen. The showroom will consist of a small cosy space with not more than two cars on display. The showroom will consist of a virtual interactive system which will enable the buyer to configure the car at home and then continue the same inside the showroom. The La Maison Citroen will also consist of a cafe along with a discussion area.
The small area requirement will also be cost-effective for the dealer and reduce the burden of the initial investment, especially in large cities like Mumbai where the real estate prices are very high in prime locations.
The perception in India is a bit different and consumers tend to associate the value and stability of the brand by the size of the showroom. Hence this idea, though really marvelous, may pose uncertainty in India. Though the brand is not limiting the size of the showroom to 150 square metres and bigger showrooms are expected to open in India.
The first car to be launched in India is the Citroen C5 Aircross which was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in 2018 and was showcased in India a few weeks back. The car has secured a 4-star safety rating at the Euro NCAP crash test, and in India, the Citroen C5 Aircross is expected to be available in only one engine option – a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine producing 130 HP of power mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The Citroën C5 Aircross is expected to be launched next year at a price of around INR 30 lakh ex, showroom.