Gerard, Citroen: Romania is no longer an emerging market

Didier Gerard, general manager of Citroen Romania, which took over import duties of the French brand last summer from ATS, a company controlled by Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, says the local market has moved past the status of an emerging market, and is closer to a mature Western market. "A market which sells over 300,000 vehicles cannot be regarded as an emerging market. The Romanian clientele has changed a lot over the last few years. Now, someone who wants to buy a new car usually already has one, which they want to sell via a buy-back system. These are not the characteristics of clients on an emerging market; they are features of a mature Western-European market, where clients, in addition to the car, also require the services that go with it." In order for Citroen to exceed the sales of its main competitors and boost its market share, the new manager of Citroen Romania will rely on new dealerships set up by Romanian investors.