A new badge, 14 new model launches and some exciting new technology mark the 200th anniversary of Peugeot and the launch of its new image, writes PADDY COMYN
FRENCH CAR firms previously looked on with envy at the reliability of their Japanese counterparts. Their reputations in this area were not held in high esteem. However, the expensive recalls at Toyota and, to a lesser extent Honda, in the last week have shown that quality slip-ups can happen to even the seemingly teflon brands.
Peugeot has been associated with flair and innovation over the years and 2010 marks its 200th anniversary. It started by making household coffee grinders and sewing machines before progressing onto bicycles and eventually motorcars. And with the celebration of this milestone comes a reinvention. In a sub-zero Paris recently, the brand revealed a new chapter in the Peugeot story with a new styling direction, a new corporate lion badge and a new tagline – Peugeot Motion and Emotion.
It is easy to be cynical at events like this. Carmakers are constantly reinventing themselves. This allows new chief executives to make their mark and keeps marketing people in jobs. But we’ve written recently in Motors about the renaissance that appears to be going on in Peugeot. The 3008 SUV and 5008 MPV models have taken critics by surprise.
Part of this renaissance will be a move into diesel/electric hybrid vehicles, battery-powered two- and four-wheeled vehicles and perhaps some of the most beautiful large volume vehicles to be penned by a car firm anywhere. But the changes start at the front with a redesign for the company’s lion bonnet mascot, which will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The new lion badge, the 10th in 150 years, is a simple design with a bi-metallic look.
Peugeot’s RCZ sportscar, an Audi TT lookalike that will cost €10,000 less than its German doppelgänger comes in the summer and marks just one of a series of cars that look set to bring further attention to the brand. The RCZ remained faithful to an earlier concept car that caused a stir in Paris.
The SR1 concept car is jaw-droppingly beautiful. It is an Aston Martin with French flair. Whether or not this achingly attractive car ever sees the light of day, it’s what is under the car’s skin that perhaps holds more significance. It features a 1.6-litre petrol engine with 218bhp combined with a rear electric motor developing 95bhp. It can run in electric mode only with zero emissions or normally with emissions of just 119g/km. This is a car with 313bhp, four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and band A emissions. Motoring nirvana perhaps?
The end of 2010 will see the arrival of the first 100 per cent electric vehicle, called the iOn. Powered by Li-ion batteries, it will have a range of 130km and a top speed of 130km/h. The car’s batteries can be recharged fully in six hours via a standard household electrical socket or to 80 per cent of its capacity with a special fast charger.
Moving into 2011 and the e-HDi system will be introduced across the brand’s models. This technology will reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 15 per cent. But before this arrives to the small cars, the spring of 2011 will see the launch of the 3008 Hybrid4 which will boast CO2 emissions of 99g/km, a zero emissions mode and performance potential of up to 200bhp.
In 2012, the brand will introduce plug-in Hybrid4 technology with target emissions of less than 50g/km. Along with a plethora of electric scooters and a smart car lookalike called the BB1, this will make up some of the 14 new models planned worldwide in the next two years. The brand is ranked in 10th position in the world car market and aims to move up three places by 2015.
In Ireland, Peugeot’s aim is to have 4 per cent of the market share in 2010, with 3008 set to represent 40 per cent of Peugeot’s market share. It is some 0.9 per cent away from this target. With sales figures starting to show an increase across the boards, this target is starting to look all the more achievable.
To hear an interview with Peugeot’s managing director Jean-Marc Gales listen to The Irish Times Motors Podcast