Groupe PSA and Dongfeng developing electric car

A group of all-electric cars from Peugeot, Citroën and DS are under development in collaboration with Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng, according to the PSA Group, which presented a future platform for small EVs.

The two companies have been working together on the platform since 2015; the models are aimed for production from 2019.

All three PSA brands will use the platform, in addition to PSA’s partner in China, Dongfeng. The models will all be B and C-segment offerings, so the models will be similar in size to the Peugeot 208, Citroën C3 and DS 3 for the former, and 308, C4 and DS 4-sized for the latter.

PSA boss Carlos Tavares previously outlined his aims to “launch our pure electric cars from the bottom of the market upwards” at the Shanghai motor show in 2015. It’s not yet known, however, if the models will be stand-alone cars or electric variants of existing PSA products.
 

PSA also revealed at last year’s Shanghai show that the platform will underpin all of its future B-segment vehicles, as well as larger cars, including the Citroen C4 Cactus.

DS’s place as technology leader in the PSA Group means it’s likely that the first all-electric car resulting from the PSA-Dongfeng deal will be DS-badged.

Given the recent facelift of the DS 3 and DS’s interest in electric models like the E-Tense concept, it’s not unfair to surmise that the model could well be an electric version of the next DS 3, which is likely to be replaced around the same time as the electric models are introduced.

PSA remains tight-lipped on any further details of the electric models, although the scale of the plans means it's not likely to be too long before we learn more about them. As the models fit into PSA's 'Push to Pass' plans, we're expecting more details quite soon.

Meanwhile, Groupe PSA isn't the only automaker with which Dongfeng has tied up for developing an electric vehicle. In September last year, Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) --  the JV between Renault and Dongfeng -- announced the production of its first electric vehicle in China by 2017. Moreover, Nissan is also working with the Chinese automaker to develop a low-cost, low-spec EV for emerging markets like India and China.