PSA, Dongfeng Said To Be Exploring A Partnership

PSA, parent company of Peugeot and Citroen, is said to be exploring a partnership with China's Dongfeng, as Peugeot looks for ways to strengthen itself amid weak sales and a perpetually sputtering European car market. A number of solutions are being proposed, with France's La Tribune claiming that a capital increase (with Dongfeng providing cash in exchange for equity), as well as an emerging market joint venture where Dongfeng would also be holding much of the equity, with Peugeot getting the financial resources it needs to expand in the developing world. Complicating matters is the brand's alliance with General Motors. GM has a 7 percent stake in PSA and is seen within the company as a key to helping PSA pull through the European crisis, where overcapacity and a need for significant economies of scale are hurting smaller players like PSA. But PSA also wants to follow the lead of rival Renault-Nissan, which has aggressively expanded in emerging markets with Dacia (a runaway success) and now Datsun. Europe is considered a mature market, and emerging markets are one of the only growth sectors left for an established auto maker like PSA (especially given that a North American expansion is off the table, even though it is also a strong market for automobiles). Currently, the Peugeot family holds roughly 25 percent of PSA's shares, but any deal with Dongfeng could see them lose their stake – an unthinkable occurrence in past eras. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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