At Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen’s national dealer conference in October, a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar took center stage. Liu Pei’s name last appeared in an official capacity at Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen back in 2019, when he left the company. Now, he is back as the Chief Marketing Officer of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Sales Co., Ltd., overseeing marketing efforts for both the Peugeot and Citroen brands.

This appointment has caught the spotlight, not just because it marks a personnel shift, but also because it comes at a pivotal moment. Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen is in the midst of a wide-ranging overhaul, affecting its product lineup and marketing setup. Liu Pei’s return places him right at the heart of this transformation.

Liu Pei’s journey with Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen began in 2003. He started from a grassroots sales role at Dongfeng Peugeot and climbed the ranks to lead the Dongfeng Peugeot Sales Department. As sales director from 2014 to 2016, Dongfeng Peugeot enjoyed its heyday in China. In 2014, it led joint-venture brands in growth, and in 2015, sales soared past 400,000 units. Later, moving to the Marketing Department, he was in charge of brand strategy and the full lifecycle marketing of models. This gave him a deep insight into the entire process of transforming French brands from merely “selling cars” to “managing brands.”

His departure in 2019 came as a shock. Liu Pei left Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen to join XPENG, then a fledgling company, as Vice President of Sales. He oversaw market operations and sales management across multiple cities. Later, he became General Manager of the Northern Region, getting involved in deliveries and user services in places like Beijing. This experience allowed him to closely observe and take part in the whole process of new energy vehicle startups building their sales networks and managing user relationships from scratch.

Six years later, Liu Pei’s return finds Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen a much different company. In 2025, its annual sales stood at just 51,500 units, a stark contrast to the days when Dongfeng Peugeot alone sold over 400,000 units. The July 2026 figures were even more sobering: 525 units of the C5 X and 290 units of the Peugeot 408 were sold, with the combined monthly sales of the two brands’ flagship models falling short of 1,000 units.

However, Liu Pei’s return is not just a personal career move; it’s a strategic step in Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen’s broader transformation plan.

In October 2025, a new management team took charge at Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen, with Lv Haitao stepping in as General Manager. By the end of the year, the “Three-Year Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Revival Plan” was officially unveiled. In 2026, changes picked up speed: In March, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen held a conference to restructure its marketing organization, setting up eight centers and shifting from a “product-centric” to a “user-centric” approach, and from traditional channel marketing to omnichannel digital marketing. In August, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Technology (Wuhan) Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 8.2 billion yuan, was officially established, announcing the launch of four new energy vehicle models from 2027 onwards, covering the Peugeot, Citroen, and Jeep brands.

The core idea behind this transformation is to replace the old joint-venture model of “foreign technology, Chinese market” with “Chinese design, Chinese development, and Chinese manufacturing.” The marketing system restructuring is an extension of this idea at the operational level, and personnel choices often serve as the clearest indicator of a transformation’s true direction.

Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen has adopted a clear “hybrid” strategy in personnel selection: On one hand, it leans heavily on “insiders”—veterans like Lv Haitao and Mao Chuangxin, who have deep roots in the company, form the core team. On the other hand, it brings in talent with a new energy vehicle startup background to fill gaps. Liu Zhen from Xiaomi is in charge of user experience, while Wang Weidong from XPENG heads the Marketing Digital Intelligence Center. Liu Pei’s value lies in the fact that he has both the knowledge of French brands and the experience of how new energy vehicle startups operate.

The challenges ahead for Liu Pei are immense. In January, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen saw a 16% year-on-year sales increase, initially seen as a “strong start.” However, subsequent monthly sales data show that this rebound is far from a lasting trend. French brands’ recognition in the Chinese market continues to wane, the channel network needs repair and expansion, and truly competitive new energy products won’t be available until 2027.

At the October dealer conference, Liu Pei said that in September, manufacturer-dealer collaboration had gained experience in “order fulfillment, lead operation, test drive conversion, and outlet management,” creating space to “amplify synergies” in the fourth quarter. These remarks show his current focus: Before new products arrive, first improve the operational efficiency of the marketing system and boost the confidence of the dealer network.

But this is precisely the toughest part. A marketing officer can change tactics and pace; what he can’t change are product cycles and market trends. Liu Pei’s return signals that Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen is willing to use “cross-system” personnel to tackle “cross-era” problems. However, a signal is not a solution. The real solution will start to become clear only when the four new energy vehicles hit showrooms in 2027.

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