Photo: Peugeot
It’s been quite a long time since Groupe PSA – now known as Stellantis thanks to the merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles – announced its return to North America. Peugeot, specifically, wants to come back to the United States because it’s an extremely lucrative market.
The French Lion stopped manufacturing cars for the U.S. in September 1991, a failure that was prompted by the 405 sedan. One year earlier, the brand sold 4,261 vehicles in this part of the world, of which 70 percent were 405s. It should also be mentioned that Japanese and American brands were far more popular back in North America at that time, and Peugeot didn’t have a crossover, sport utility vehicle, or pickup truck in the lineup.
The Detroit Bureau reports that the U.S. return has been advanced to 2023, a three-year difference over an earlier report from Automotive News. “PSA North America is still wrestling with the shape of its retail network,” said head honcho Larry Dominique said during a keynote address, meaning that Peugeot still has a lot of things to sort out.
Groupe PSA will franchise dealers instead of operating its own network, “but it also expects to lean heavily on online retailing.” The latter part is most intriguing because Tesla has proven that selling cars online is a great idea. No markups, no hidden fees, everything is transparent when you order an S, 3, X, or an Y from the Palo Alto-based company.
PSA North America is currently operating a mobility services unit – Free2Move – in Washington D.C. as a test lab for the automaker’s retail sales. U.S. chief exec Larry Dominique didn’t mention what kind of vehicles Peugeot will sell over here, but it’s a given that the 3008 and 5008 crossovers will serve as the bread and butter of the French interloper.
The 3008 and 5008 are compact and mid-sized models underpinned by the EMP2 platform for front- and all-wheel-drive applications. The engine lineup kicks off with a 1.2-liter turbo three-cylinder mill and tops with a couple of plug-in hybrids. Hybrid4 is how the all-wheel-drive option is called, and it develops no fewer than 296 horsepower.
The Detroit Bureau reports that the U.S. return has been advanced to 2023, a three-year difference over an earlier report from Automotive News. “PSA North America is still wrestling with the shape of its retail network,” said head honcho Larry Dominique said during a keynote address, meaning that Peugeot still has a lot of things to sort out.
Groupe PSA will franchise dealers instead of operating its own network, “but it also expects to lean heavily on online retailing.” The latter part is most intriguing because Tesla has proven that selling cars online is a great idea. No markups, no hidden fees, everything is transparent when you order an S, 3, X, or an Y from the Palo Alto-based company.
PSA North America is currently operating a mobility services unit – Free2Move – in Washington D.C. as a test lab for the automaker’s retail sales. U.S. chief exec Larry Dominique didn’t mention what kind of vehicles Peugeot will sell over here, but it’s a given that the 3008 and 5008 crossovers will serve as the bread and butter of the French interloper.
The 3008 and 5008 are compact and mid-sized models underpinned by the EMP2 platform for front- and all-wheel-drive applications. The engine lineup kicks off with a 1.2-liter turbo three-cylinder mill and tops with a couple of plug-in hybrids. Hybrid4 is how the all-wheel-drive option is called, and it develops no fewer than 296 horsepower.
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