Citroen C6 Hits The Chinese Car Market

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The new Citroen C6 has been launched on the Chinese car market. Price starts at 189.900 yuan and ends at 279.900 yuan. The Citroen C6 is the new flagship sedan of the Citroen brand in China, there are no plans for export or for production anywhere else.

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There are two engines available: a 1.6 turbo with 167hp and 245nm designated 350TPH, and a 1.8 turbo with 180hp and 280nm designated 380TPH. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic ‘box sending power to the front wheels. It has standard suspension, nothing fancy pneumatic.

The Citroen C6 is basically the same car as the Dongfeng Fengshen A9, with a different dashboard, a slightly different rear, a rather different front, and different badges.

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Price for the Fengshen A9 starts at 179.700 yuan and ends at 229.700 yuan, and for that money you always get the 1.8 turbo. The 1.6 turbo is not available in the A9. So a Dongfeng A9 with a 1.8 turbo is cheaper than a Citroen C6 with a 1.6 turbo.

The Citroen C6 and the Dongfeng Fengshen A9 are manufactured alongside each other by the Dongfeng-PSA joint venture. They are both based on the PSA EMP2 platform, which will also underpin the upcoming DS9 sedan which is scheduled to arrive in late 2017.

Dongfeng Motor can use the platform because they are one of the largest shareholders in PSA. Companies also have the long-running Dongfeng-PSA joint venture that makes various other Citroen and Peugeot branded cars for the Chinese market.

The Citroen C6 will compete with cars such as the Ford Taurus, the Buick LaCrosse, and the Toyota Crown. This segment is relatively unknown in Europe but very popular in China. Price-wise the vehicles are positioned just below the 3-Series, A4, and C-Class, but they are usually bigger and more luxurious.

For comparison: the China-made Citroen C5 starts at 180.000 and ends at 240.000 yuan, and the China-made C-Class L starts at 314.000 and ends at 590.000 yuan.

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Some of the price difference can be explained by the dashboard. The Citroen has a fancy digital instrument panel and a large touch screen, whereas the Dongfeng has an analogue panel and a smaller screen.

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But dare I say..? The Dongfeng’s interior looks nicer. Wood is good, the seats are more luxurious, and it has a fancy clock between the vents.

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That being said, the digital 12.3 inch panel is a work of art. I love the retro-style speedometer on top and the tiny tiny rev counter on the left.

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Navigation.

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The center tunnel is not properly aligned with the center stack. The unit with the air vents and screen is located a tad to the right, making it look unbalanced.

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See? How very fuzzy. Not pretty. The screen is mid sized and measures eight inch. It has Apple CarPlay but no Baidu CarLife. Unlike the Fengshen A9 the C6 doesn’t have a CD player, which we call a good thing.

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Graphics are clear but not spectacular. Buttons under the screen look cheap.

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Lot of space in the back and there is a double sunroof to lighten up the gray interior.

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Two tiny pipes on the left. Not a very powerful look. Dongfeng does a better job again.

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The grille however looks brilliant. This is a proper Citroen front. Lot of shiny with a lot of bars and a LED strip on each side of the fully integrated Citroen logo. This front alone is probably worth the extra money.

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Oh no. This looks so unfinished and poor again. Citroen didn’t bother to cover the engine bay. Not good, especially not for a car in this segment.

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All in all a fine looking car with a nice but somewhat flawed interior. But shouldn’t a flag ship Citroen be a bit more exciting? Extra cash over the Dongfeng is now hard to justify. Citroen isn’t known for luxurious cars in China so people won’t buy it just for the badge. Citroen is also working on a DS version of the C6. It will be called DS9 and hit the market late next year. It better be a more special.

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