Citroen CEO Vincent Cobee has revealed the French car manufacturer has a "strong ambition" to boost sales in China by targeting its "young elites."

Citroen has sold cars in China for more than 40 years and built the popular Fukang hatchback, which was the first of a range of cars made specifically for the Chinese market.

Now it is keen to increase its connection with the Chinese population and attract a new market of younger people with disposable income.

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Cobee told CGTN Europe: "We were part of the original industrialization of motor cars in China. We have a well-known presence and image thanks to the Fukang line-up of vehicles and this is a market that is very close to our heart.

He added: "C5X in particular is going to be a very interesting offer in the Chinese market, bringing innovation, elegance, style and very high-quality touring to a Chinese customer. 

"We really believe that when you look at the the new Chinese customer, what we call the young elites, they're very keen on experiencing strong value-based culture. And we believe Citroen has a very interesting role to play in this particular domain."

Like the rest of the automotive industry, Citroen is working hard to move towards producing more environmentally friendly vehicles and Cobee says customers are increasingly demanding cars that don't damage the environment.

"European customers are asking for more and more environmentally friendly technologies and therefore transportation modes. So this has been going on for five to 10 years and has been accelerating very substantially in 2020 and will continue doing so until 2025 for sure. 

"So from that perspective, Citroen has introduced six electrified vehicles during 2020 and we will continue with electrified solutions in 2021 and for years to come."