Rumors and reports were running rampant of Peugeot’s and Citroen’s possible return to the US market.
Now, they’re all holding some truth as Peugeot’s parent company, PSA, who also owns Citroen, officially announced a three-staged reentry into the US during a special presentation to some accountants and beancounters.
In that meeting, PSA’s CEO, Carlos Tavares, confirmed too that teams have been studying the market and the latest regulations of the US market to determine whether or not PSA is capable of producing a US-specific car. But really, it’s the 21st century and the automobile has been curated to the point where pretty much anyone can make a car for anywhere.
Peugeot’s and Citroen’s absence from the market simply came from a combination of things such as stiff competition, low demand, poor marketing, and a shift in interests. The companies also struggled to fund the US federalization of their cars when the company was financially stricken from producing too many “radical” models in the 1970s–something that eventually became both a blessing and a curse for both automakers.
While old Citroens and Peugeots have solid cult followings in the United States and extremely storied pasts with plenty of motorsports heritage and critique awards from Europe, the general public here in America is pretty oblivious to their existence allowing for potential to establish a new brand identity.
So, what’s a part of this “three-stage plan?” Well, the first two stages involve Peugeot and Citroen to focus on some domestic developments first with car-sharing and leasing.
The third-stage is what reintroduces PSA to the US. To that, Tavares down-played previous rumors that Citroen’s DS brand would be the first to be reintroduced into the US market. Tavares said that Citroen has no commitment of the DS brand to the US because the current models aren’t US-compliant.
Either way, this is exciting news since Fiat and Alfa Romeo, both brands once perceived as forbidden fruit, returned and is returning to the US, while Peugeot and Citroen, both absent from the market since the 1980s and early 1990s, are marked to invade our roads.
Vive la France!
– By: Chris Chin
Source: PSA via AutomotiveNews
Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/22oYvsH
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