Peugeot Laps The Prius

A few months ago, I wrote about a concept car which Peugeot showcased at the Geneva Motor Show. It was going to emit small levels of CO2, sip diesel, rather than drink it, and have more power than Ferdinand Piech. Everyone was sceptical as concepts rarely turn out they way they were planned once marketing, accountants and managers have had their way with the car. Well, something funny happened….

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Wild-Ass Rumor Of The Day: Peugeot-Citroen Considering Alliance With BMW?

Reporters didn’t hold a gun to Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne’s head when they asked him where the next big industry consolidation would occur. He didn’t have to give an answer, and Automotive News [sub] certainly didn’t have to run it as a standalone story. But then, Marchionne’s Fiat is the Don Juan of the global auto industry, having been linked to flirtations with nearly every automaker in the game. If anyone has an idea of the M&A picture in Europe, it’s Sergio. His reply?

The next merger will probably be French. [PSA Peugeot-Citroen] tried with Mitsubishi and they will try with someone else… An alliance involving France and Germany is not that easy, but [the Renault-Daimler-Nissan deal is] a step in the right direction

PSA Peugeot-Citroen and BMW currently develop transverse four cylinder engines together… does Marchionne foresee a deeper relationship?

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Bend Over: PSA To Change Name

PSA, Europe’s second largest car maker after Volkswagen (14.9 percent and 20.8 percent market share respectively in February 2010, as per ACEA) considers changing their name, says Bloomberg. There are several choices on the table, the front-runner appears to be …

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Geneva Gallery: Peugeot SR-1 Cabrio Concept
If Peugeot’s “Five by Peugeot” concept is Jaguar-inspired, this SR-1 concept clearly takes its cues from Old Blighty’s other famous s…
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Geneva Gallery: Five By Peugeot Concept
When Jaguar’s new XJ hit the car show circuit, many found themselves remarking that the latest big cat bears more than a striking resemblance to the Ci…
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5 By Peugeot: The Concept For A Future In Which The French Still Build Cars

Peugeot are going through a bit of a turbulent phase at the moment. They announced a loss of £1.02bn for 2009 (which was curbed by “Bangers for Cash”) and shareholders are pressuring management for more growth. So, Peugeot are revamping their line up, starting with the 407. The 407 was a bit bland and really only existed to sell to fleets, so PSA are going to give it a new lease of life…..by killing it. Car Magazine reports that the Peugeot 407 is going to be retired and replaced with the 508. The 508 will be showcased at the 2010 Geneva motor show. The car is still in concept phase, but is strongly suggesting that the design of the concept car will be spread across all ranges.

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BMW and PSA Sign 4-Cylinder Cooperation Extension
With BMW feeling very small in a big fish’s pond, you’d think that BMW would be scrambling to make friends with bigger fish in order to survive.…
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Scion XD Scores Last In Euro NCAP Compact Crash Test

The Scion xD is known in Europe as the “Urban Cruiser,” and with an AWD option it’s sold as a quasi-SUV. According to a Euro NCAP crash test of comact cars though, the Urban Cruiser offers a lot less safety than you might expect in an SUV. NCAP’s latest round of compact testing saw vehicles from the new Opel Astra and Chevy Cruze to the Peugeot 308 and Mazda3 recording perfect five-star scores, indicating just how safe compact cars have become. And even the video of the Urban Cruiser’s three-star performance lacks the drama of earlier compact crash tests: a failure of side airbags and a weak performance in the new side pole crash caused the poor score. Most embarrassing of all, the Chevrolet Spark (neé Daewoo Matiz Creative) came in second to last, scoring four stars to the Urban Cruiser’s three.

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PSA-Mitsu Deal Doomed By Debt?

A few days ago, TTAC reported that PSA and Mitsubishi were looking to forge closer ties with either a cross holding format, like Renault-Nissan, or by PSA taking a 30-50 percent stake in Mitsubishi. According to Bloomberg, analysts like Oppenheim’s Jens Schattner are ruling out equity acquisitions, saying the two firms should concentrate more on co-operation. “Peugeot doesn’t have the liquidity to take a major Mitsubishi stake in cash” he says, and he’s not the only one splashing cold water on the hook-up. Eric-Alain Michelis, an analyst at Societe Generale adds that PSA may have to issue new shares to pay for that stake in Mitsubishi they want, which will not please the Peugeot family as it will dilute their holding. Otherwise, “raising the finance would not be a walk in the park,” he reminds. Were PSA to issue shares to cover €1 billion of the $3.7billion needed for a 50% stake in Mitsubishi Motors, it would reduce the Peugeot family’s investment to 25%. Quelle horror!

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  • Spookiness I occasionally check in on a few models about 3 or 4 years old and anecdotally prices are down. The market value of my existing car is also down from its peak.
  • Theflyersfan How many paychecks does Tim get a month to where he can say that an $80,000 car "isn't too bad???" 😁 You know, after awhile, I guess I'm a bit jaded from reading about another really expensive EV. Yeah, there's the heavily compromised Leaf, and there might be some Bolts hiding in the corners of a Chevy lot, but it seems like the only thing the automakers want to crank out are EVs that go for twice what the average car sells for these days. It's looking more and more like until there is a true breakthrough in battery technology to where economies of scale allow a cheaper and mass produced battery that can provide the juice to propel a $45,000 EV 350+ miles on a charge, all we're going to see are the top dollar EVs get the good stuff.
  • ToolGuy You people worry too much. I voted today, and I made some very solid choices. Trust me, your problems are over.
  • ToolGuy Meanwhile Jim Farley, Ford CEO is driving a China EV.
  • SCE to AUX It's cheap for a Lucid, and probably too cheap to make a profit.