Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën launches new Hedmos brand in China

Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën, the joint venture between the Chinese and French manufacturers, has launched a new-energy vehicle (NEV) brand in China: Hedmos. The new brand hopes to revive the manufacturer’s sales figures with affordable electrified models, starting with an all-electric SUV for around €15,000.

Dongfeng is one of the four biggest state-owned car manufacturers in China. Still, it is mainly known in the West for its joint ventures with European and Japanese manufacturers for domestic production.

Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën was the first joint venture formed in 1992. The manufacturer has also started expanding into Europe with brands like Voyah, Mhero, and under the Dongfeng name.

Declining sales

Now, Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën is looking to climb back to former heights. In 2014, joint venture sales peaked at 734,000, but as the Chinese market moved away from foreign brands towards local names, the figures plummeted. They dropped as low as under 50,000 units during the Covid year of 2020, before climbing back to 127,000 in 2022.

New brand, known model name

To lure back customers, Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën has decided to launch a new brand with a Chinese identity: Hedmos (derived from headmost), or Shijie in Chinese. On March 3, the company revealed the brand during a press event, with four main identity pillars: Balanced, Guide, Tech, and Strength.

Hedmos will build new-energy vehicles (NEVs), with the first model to be launched in April. Thanks to the Chinese government’s declaration policy, much is already known about this debut vehicle: it will be called Fukang 06, referring to the model name used for rebadged Citroëns like the ZX and Elysée.

Electric SUV for a low price

The Fukang 06 is a compact to mid-sized all-electric SUV, measuring 4,670 mm long, 1,900 mm wide and 1,617 mm high. It uses a 160 kW (218 hp) electric motor and an LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) battery from CALB-tech, but the capacity and range figures are still unknown.

We know the price range: between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan, or around €13,150 to €19,700. The official launch and first deliveries are expected by May 2025.