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NEWS
Citroen moves house
French marque in Australia is now handled by Peugeot distributor, Sime DarbyThe worst kept secret in the Australian automotive industry has been officially revealed, finally. Citroen's distribution in Australia is now being handled by Sime Darby, the company that already distributes Citroen's parent company brand, Peugeot.
Until very recently, Sime Darby was also the distributor for Ssangyong, but the Korean company known best for its SUVs and its former association with Mercedes-Benz has since been handed over to Ateco Automotive, which was the distributor for Citroen until today.
"We are excited to welcome the Citroen brand to the Sime Darby family," said Sime Darby Managing Director, Rob Dommerson.
"The brand has great heritage around the world and, given the connection of Citroen and Peugeot globally, it made sense to bring the two brands together here in Australia as the Distributor."
Moving under the one roof with Peugeot is a mirror of what's going on in the wider world. To cut costs and streamline logistics the two French brands are co-habitating in many countries around the world. In Australia, Citroen will have its own sales and marketing team, according to the distributor, and that team will be led by John Startari, the new General Manager for Citroen Automobiles Australia. Mr Statari (pictured) was the MD of Proton Australia, until very recently.
"I’m really looking forward to being a part of the relaunch of the Citroen brand in Australia," the new GM was quoted saying in a press release issued today.
"Citroen is a great brand that is steeped in history. Given the synergies between Citroen and Peugeot it makes sense in terms of economies of scale to combine the two brands. I see that it will help us provide better levels of service to our customers through shared resources and parts.
"Our focus in the initial phase will be on rationalizing the model line-up, simplifying the pricing structure, building the dealer network as well as paying particular attention to the DS range."
The change of distribution will not have any immediate effect on the 20-strong dealer network selling the Citroen brand in Australia, but Sime Darby is currently negotiating with new retailers to expand the network.
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