A French Luxury Car Brand Is Growing Surprisingly Fast In China

In 2013, French automaker Citroen sold 3,500 DS luxury vehicles in China.

That made it practically a rounding error in the Chinese luxury car market. But what a difference a year makes.

According to Chinese news outlet Gasgoo, Citroen DS deliveries have risen to 10,400 in just the first half of 2014 - a substantial increase and a sign that the carmaker's goal of selling 200,000 DS vehicles by 2017 isn't so farfetched.

Citroen - or rather its parent company, PSA Peugeot Citroen - is, like all Western car companies, partnered in joint ventures with Chinese carmakers to build vehicles in the Middle Kingdom. At the moment, the luxury DS brand trails market leaders Audi and BMW by a wide margin. In fact, Citroen DS is dead last.

But the brand's rapid progress over a relatively short period of time is worth keeping an eye on. Meanwhile, check out this stylish video of DS production in China: