Peugeot Scooters will officially enter the largest motorcycle/scooter market in the world with the opening of its first Chinese store in December. The French firm has announced the news as it displays its new wares at the Shanghai World Expo, running from July 14th through August 15th.

The Chinese firm Quingqi Motorcycles will distribute the Peugueot scoots - the two companies having partnered in 2006 as a joint venture, each one holding a 50% stake. According to Peugeot’s press announcement, the Chinese Peugeot network will number “145 sales outlets and nine flagship stores spread across nine Chinese provinces.”

The joint venture is a potentially lucrative one for Peugeot, with the company claiming more than 20 million unit annual sales in China. Peugeot will offer Chinese consumers a five-model lineup, comprising of three scooters and two motorcycles, ranging in displacement from 80 to 125cc. All five will be built in China at a plant located in Jinan.