PSA Peugeot Citroen confirms new small car platform for DS3, 208, 2008, C3 and C4 Cactus

PSA Peugeot Citroen boss Carlos Tavares has announced the development of a new Compact Modular Platform, which will underpin ten new small and medium-sized Peugeot, Citroen and DS models that’ll be launched between 2018 and 2020. The new CMP platform is a heavily modified version of the current EMP1 platform, modified so much that Tavares described it to Auto Express as “all new”. It’s being developed at a cost of €200million (£145m) with the costs being shared between PSA Peugeot Citroen and its Chinese partner DongFeng. PSA will produce ten new models off the new platform, ranging from superminis and saloons to crossovers and SUVs, meaning replacements for everything from the DS 3 supermini to the Peugeot 2008 SUV will be built using the new technology. Although not sold in Western Europe, replacements for the larger C-Elysse and Peugeot 301 saloons aimed at emerging markets will also come off the CMP platform.

• Shanghai Motor Show 2015: news round-up Larger Peugeot, Citroen and DS models are built on a modular platform called EMP2, which debuted two years ago on the C4 Picasso and also underpins the 308 hatchback. Citroen CEO Linda Jackson later told Auto Express that no decision had been made regarding the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1, cars that are currently co-developed with Toyota, which produces the Aygo. It’s stll possible that the relationship between the French and Japanese maufacturers for the city cars could continue beyond the existing models.

 DongFeng will also develop ten new models for its domestic market models using the Compact Modular Platform, sharing development costs and bringing savings by using common suppliers with PSA. In total, the partners expect to build ten million cars using CMP. DongFeng’s Chairman and Executive Director Xu Ping also confirmed to Auto Express that his company would sell cars in Europe, but not yet. “It’s a goal of DongFeng to have globalisation but it needs to be implemented step-by-step,” he said. “Developed markets will come at a later stage.” PSA and DongFeng also used the pre-Shanghai motor show event to announce the creation of a joint Research and Development facility in Shanghai to work on new products for the fast-growing Asian market.

All the news from the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show