Today I attended a media event about Chinese brand Zeekr entering the Australian car market, joining it's Geely stablemates Polestar, Volvo and Smart.

Zeekr X EV unveiled at Australian media launchImage by - Neerav Bhatt

After the event I checked my email and saw that European brand Citroën is stopping new car sales in Australia later this year. Citroën will of course honour warranties etc for existing customers.

The two announcements are not directly linked but the timing made me reflect upon the changing nature of the automotive industry as former leading auto brands in Europe and the USA are being increasingly challenged and surpassed by Asian brands from China and Korea.

If you follow European EV commentators like I do, your hopes that popular Euro electric model Citroen ë-C3 would soon be launched in Australia have been dashed.

Industry commentator Mike Costello from Cox Automotive commented on the situation:

"As much as I adore Citroen as a car lover, I can’t say I’m surprised. Australia has more than 50 car brands fighting for a bit over a million sales already, with up to a dozen more Chinese marques on the immediate horizon".

"It’s just too competitive out there for niche brands with mainstream pricing to stay competitive, to sell enough product to justify the expense of operation here - either factory-backed or via a distributor."

"It’s a shame, since there are some terrific Citroen products out there today including the C3 Aircross, e-C3, Ami and C5 X. All of them are distinctive, electrified, and well-priced in Europe".

▶️MORE: Zeekr X Preliminary Pricing and Specs Revealed, To Launch Later This Year

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Neerav Bhatt

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Neerav Bhatt has been a technology journalist and photographer for over 20 years appearing in online, print, radio and TV media. His current focus is on helping Australians switch to electric vehicles as well as making their home fully electric, sustainable and climate resilient.

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