PSA/Peugeot-Citroen’s upscale DS brand is starting small but CEO Yves Bonnefont is thinking big. After selling 118,472 vehicles in 2014, Bonnefont hopes the division’s sales will eventually represent 10 percent to 15 percent of PSA’s annual volumes – up from 4 percent last year. Bonnefont, who became DS’ first CEO last June, shared his vision for the brand’s future when he met with Automotive News Europe Editor Luca Ciferri and Correspondent Bruce Gain.
What is your sales target for DS?
We are not commenting on volumes because I don’t want to be trapped by a sales target. That being said, when you look at the industry you find that the premium market accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the total worldwide sales. So it’s not crazy to think that in the midterm DS should represent between 10 and 15 percent of PSA’s total sales. That corresponds roughly to the proportion of Audi’s sales within the Volkswagen Group [Audi accounted for about 17 percent of VW Group sales last year].
What metrics are you using to measure DS’ success?
What I will use to develop the brand is the customer experience. I will make no compromise on the customer offering and experience. It’s the products, the networks and customer experience that will determine the speed at which we develop the brand. I will not be pushing volumes because I know that it could kill the brand.