PSA Peugeot Citroën’s return to the United States has been making headlines ever since Peugeot pulled out of the market back in 1991.
Now, though, we have our first official confirmation that the French automaker is gearing up for a return to the U.S.
The confirmation was made by CEO Carlos Tavares during a presentation held with investors earlier today. The main agenda was a company-wide strategy known as Push to Pass, which outlined PSA’s plans for the years 2016 to 2021.
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Under the Push to Pass strategy, PSA will launch 34 new vehicles including 7 plug-in hybrids and 4 electric cars. These will be for markets where the automaker’s brands Peugeot, Citroën and the new luxury outfit DS are currently operating.
For the U.S. return, Tavares said PSA will take a cautious, long-term approach. He outlined a three-step plan that could potentially take a decade or more.
The first step is getting into the mobility services market. Tavares said this will start as early as next year and hinted that PSA may collaborate with fellow French firm Bolloré to possibly launch a car sharing service. PSA already supplies Bolloré with an electric car designed exclusively for car sharing.
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2016 DS 3
The second step would be PSA launching its own car sharing service in the U.S. using its regular production models. Tavares explained that the cars would be used in car sharing fleets or leased to customers but still owned by PSA.
The third step would see PSA actually selling cars in the U.S., and possibly even producing some regionally. Tavares didn’t say which of PSA’s three brands he wanted to sell in the U.S. but the head of DS, Yves Bonnefont, has previously stated that the luxury brand was to be a global brand and that would mean launching in the U.S.
