Dubai: French automaker Citroen on Tuesday debuted six new models at its Shaikh Zayed Road showroom in Dubai. The company unveiled its C and DS lines, and commercial range. The cars are priced between Dh45,000 and Dh125,000.
Setrak Mechedjian, general manager of Dubai-based Al Rostamani Trading Company, part of Al Rostamani Group, said the company expects to sell 3,000 Citroen units in the UAE in the next three years.
“We are hoping to grab one per cent of the market share within the coming two to three years,” he said.
Citroen and Al Rostamani Group struck a deal in 2010 to supply Citroen cars in the UAE. The showroom, however, opened [informally] only in 2012 following issues with its previous distributor, French Automobiles. The official opening of the showroom took place on Tuesday.
“Citroen had issues with the old distributor - it was not an active [distributor]. So we had to wait until they finalised the issues with the old distributor,” Mechedjian said.
Citroen expects the UAE to drive the company’s growth in the coming years, according to Philippe Geze, director of international operations for the Middle East, Africa and TT at Citroen. “We hope to sell more and more cars in the UAE,” he said.
The company plans to open three showrooms in the country (in Deira in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah) over the next two years, according to Mechedjian.
In Europe, 750,000 Citroen units were sold in 2013, “a stable” growth compared to 2012, Geze said. “The economic situation [in Europe] was quite difficult. The auto market was decreasing,” he said.
Citroen maintains a presence across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Al Rostamani Trading is also the sole authorised distributor of Suzuki cars in the UAE.
