Peugeot has an “enormous opportunity” to grow in the UK and it is currently “one of the best-kept secrets” in the market.
That’s according to company CEO Linda Jackson, who wants the brand to rediscover itself in the UK and grow once more. In 2022, it sold just over 50,000 cars in the UK, but 15 years ago it sold more than 140,000.
“We’ve been very quiet,” she said. “We’ve not talked about or communicated the wide range of vehicles and technologies we have or talked about our electrification. We need to build our awareness again. It’s about communicating a sharp message.
“The 208 is the best-selling car in Europe. The e-208 is the best-selling electric car. Do people in the UK know that? It’s about credibility and trust. All that comes with familiarity. It’s not just about growing market share but getting sustainable growth in the UK.
“We’re not just going to be pushing metal. There's an enormous opportunity with the product range and the brand experience.”
Phil York, Peugeot’s global marketing director, said it was important for Peugeot “to be simpler” with its messaging, particularly around electrification. “We will be more transparent with costs and be a voice of reason around electrification, taking cars into communities,” he explained.
Jackson confirmed she was “not going to change” Peugeot’s brand positioning and move further upmarket and said that the brand was “mainstream but the higher end of mainstream”. She added: “This fits in with the other Stellantis brands.”
All 14 Stellantis brands had been tasked by group CEO Carlos Tavares to distil their brand into one word. For Peugeot, that was ‘allure’. “It’s the power of attraction, charisma and magnetism,” said Jackson.
She wants the brand to become even stronger. “In the past, you would buy a 3008 and then say it’s a Peugeot. Now I want people to say they’ve bought a Peugeot that happens to be a 3008,” she said.
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In short UK will get the low rent versions, lol.
More than decade ago when Peugeot cared about how their cars drove, they had a shockasborber factory at Sochaux that made products that enabled Peugeot to outride, outhandle and outlive competition on the suspension front. Currently they cant outride or outlast coz of crappy alternatives like KYB. Now that is USP and insttitutional memory lost. Good news would have been that they are reopening the Sochaux shocks factory.
Another sad decision was to see out their larger petrol engines with the crappy 1.6 Prince turbo before electric takeover which is a pile of junk really. They should have at least invested on a clean sheet reliable 1.8 litre turbo design that would leave good memories.
All the best though.
The roads in France and other European countries are full of larger Peugeot's! Read the article - it's all about Peugeot raising their image and profile in the UK to match other markets. You obviously don't question everything and base your view on how cars perform in the market by how many you see in Morrisons car park
The budget end of cars is a blood bath and Peugeot were right in moving upmarket, and yes they have already succeded - in mainland Europe at least.
Tackling accessibility with consumer offers? Isn't this just a polite way of saying discounts and daily rentals? To me there is a lot of overlap between today's Peugeots and Vauxhalls so there must be a danger that growing one might canibalise the other.