- Division identified as part of PSA plan
- Peugeots slated to become part of Free2Move car sharing
- Pilot program already launched in Washington, D.C.
French automaker PSA Group (which builds Peugeot, Citroen and Opel vehicles) has announced its plan to return to the U.S. market under the Peugeot brand. Peugeot was last sold in the U.S. in 1991. The rollout of the French-produced vehicles will come over time and the company declined to identify which specific models they have in mind for the U.S. market.
The U.S. return of Peugeot is part of a 10-year strategic vision for the group that was announced in 2016 called Push to Pass. Already work is underway to re-establish PSA’s presence in the U.S. with the introduction of a Free2Move car sharing platform that will provide mobility services in 12 countries using 65,000 vehicles.
For the initial rollout of the car sharing service last year, the company targeted the Washington, D.C. market for its U.S. pilot and using a 500-car fleet of GM-branded vehicles in its early stages. Once the program is fully expanded, it’s expected that PSA will begin to introduce Peugeot vehicles into its fleet with an eye towards eventual retail sales to the public.
“Our decision to bring Peugeot back into North America is the culmination of several years of study and research aimed at which of Groupe PSA’s brands would best serve the customer needs of this market, President and CEO of Groupe PSA North America, Larry Dominique said. “We are taking a pragmatic approach to entering the North American market and are confident that, from the larger ‘mobility services’ revolution currently taking place, to the more fundamental models of retail, service, financing and logistics – we’ll continue to build our plan on careful, scalable solutions.”
Peugeot as a brand is rapidly moving towards electrification, which could be part of its move into the U.S. market. It recently unveiled a new logo touting Motion and e-Motion incorporating the division’s traditional lion logo.
