France set to invade Germany
Renault and Citroen are winding up to launch a frontal assault on the German car market. Germany is Europe's largest automotive market, filled with über-drivers that demand cars that set the performance and luxury standard for the rest of Europe, and arguably the world. The French automakers want a larger piece of the German market, as well as further global expansion, too. Renault is bringing the fight to Germany with their new Laguna. The Laguna was designed specifically to appeal to the tastes of German buyers, with Renault's German marketing department making sure the car met the needs and desires of the Deutschland buyer. Hopes are high that the Laguna will bolster profits for Renault. It's an attempt to crack into the $35,000 price range, where profits are fatter, yet buyers are more demanding.
Citroën is also trying to push into the luxury market. Long known for small and medium-sized cars, the brand's C6 is attempting to mix it up on Mercedes, Audi, and BMW's turf. Citroën has a plan to bolster its credibility as a maker of luxurious cars, such as drawing the line from the DS to the C6, while also improving the dealer and support experience to keep customers smiling. Both brands don't yet have the volume in the German market that they desire, but have pledged that Germany is crucial to their survival plans.
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Owain Ozymandias Buck 8:21AM (9/14/2007)
I sure hope that your analogy is wrong.
If we're talking about a language with S-V-O syntax, then three words you won't have is FRANCE, ASSAULT, and GERMANY. ;)
Citroens are cool though.
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Mike 9:20AM (9/14/2007)
Ha ha, tongue-in-cheek reversal of history?
I've always been a fan of Citroen's concepts, they're beautiful. Their production cars have always fallen short though. And if Jeremy Clarkson has taught me anything, it's that the build quality of French auto's is horrible. Being in the USA though, I wouldn't personally know...
Nick 10:24AM (9/14/2007)
I think that the Citroën C6 could be very succesful in Germany if their V6 had some more grunt.
And I think AWD and/or RWD would make it more interesting aswell.
But since Citroën is all for safety, I reckon AWD with a little rear bias should do the trick.
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RicardoHead 9:44AM (9/14/2007)
Has Citroen abandoned that goofy variable hydraulic suspension thing they had in their upmarket cars? I remember seeing so many of those things at stoplights in Munich malfunctioning up and down and bouncing around like a lowrider in L.A. It was annoying as hell.
Plus Renault and Citroen have major image problems in Germany.
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nagmashot 10:48AM (9/14/2007)
Renault has no image problem in Germany...currently they make commercials in print media that they have beat in 2006 Toyota in 3 major car classes in Europens most important reliabilty statistic (middleclass, subcompact, minivans). I am German and I own a Renault and my family always owned cars from Renault (next to other car brands) since decades.. we never had problems with them. Only normal service nothing went wrong in decades and that with cars from cheap R4 to "sportive" R17 and transport Trafic
Avinash machado 10:45AM (9/14/2007)
Perhaps Renault should launch the Infiniti brand in Germany.
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rgseidl 11:57AM (9/14/2007)
@ Mike -
build quality has indeed been a problem for French manufacturers. Their cars are cheaper, better equipped and they generally feature softer suspension. That wasn't enough for the picky German market, which is why Renault claims it will pay special attention to build quality with the Laguna. Reputations aren't made in a day, though.
@ RicardoHead -
the C6 still has hydrodynamic suspension and it's still very smooth - and very French.
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Cortez 1:13PM (9/14/2007)
RicardoHead!!!
Hidropneumatic suspension was the best thing ever invented.It ubsurbs potholes,bumps,cracks..... in such a smoothnes that you dont notice you where driving over them.
In a corner it doesnt tild the body,when load up the trunk the car stays in the same position.
The C6 has the inteligent hidropneumatic suspension
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Dex 2:01PM (9/14/2007)
From the article:
"There will be no improvement in the image of Renault if we don't succeed in Germany," Renault Patrick Pelata told a briefing at the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
"We do not have big ambitions in volumes but a very big ambition in terms of quality," he said.
Well, I hope that's not just empty talk. I've admired many French cars for their design, but French quality has often, let's say, left something to be desired...
Personally, I find the C6 to be one of the most stylish and distinctive cars on the road. But however much I like its looks, I'd still hesitate to buy a French car rather than something German or Japanese.
A poor reputation hurts immeasurably. Just ask GM.
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Colin Smith 2:30PM (9/14/2007)
Traditionally German cars were hard and soild, French cars were very comfortable, and you replaced them after three years because they tended to rust - in England. Oh, and the Germans tended towards big engines, whereas the French went for long distance comfort, powered by smaller motors working harder. There are tax and history reasons for all this.
Now the world has moved on. The Germans are still over-engining their cars, and the French have fantastic new road surfaces so don't need the suspension quality. All cars are melding into a similar type.
The different marques now sell on image. Not too long ago, in Europe, nationality was important, now less so. The Germans, however, still tend towards bourgeois stolidity, whereas the French can be a bit more wacky and get away with it. The Italians are deeply conservative, but they tend to appreciate beauty in a large car, cleverness in a small one, the rest follows depending on the desire.
Americans like big cars that can burble along reliably without giving trouble, and never mind the minutiae of handling or fuel economy.
Evolution.
Colin Smith 2:33PM (9/14/2007)
I meant solid! Idiot!!
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Tony 6:52PM (9/14/2007)
French cars of yore used to be fairly robust when they were sold to previous colonies where durability was mandatory and servicing was practically nonexistent. Their suspensions were also designed for comfort. Stylish they were (avantgarde at best, weird at worst), certainly unique. Peugeots were a little more expensive than the average car but it made a good second car when your Dad already had a Mercedes -- stylish, smart, comfy, and dependable. Up to the 505, that is -- when the newer 405 came out, boy did they start going downhill. The plastics quality for starters was abysmal, and from there on, their reliability went down. Citroen used to be the luxury car of France, now they're seen as cheap (not inexpensive -- cheap), though I'm glad the C6 appears to be heading back to what they should've been. Renaults have had 5-star crash ratings, but again as with the other two marques, their average reliability just wasn't on the ball.
But note that while other makers of mediocre cars have long disappeared (the British), others are in financial trouble (GM USA), the French are within the top car makers and are profitable. If they can fix their build quality (no flimsy trim, put them together like a VW) and their reliability/durability, then perhaps a renaissance around the world may be a possibility.
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whofan 6:30AM (9/16/2007)
The Germans have a lot of national pride. I`m sure most Germans will agree that Mercedes and BMW are the best cars on the road. The French have a steep hill to climb if they plan to dent the German market.
The French would have greater success here in the US where everything foriegn is perceived as better.
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