andrethx Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 story is here. doing it to save money, AFAIK they are still involved in rallying. too bad, it was fun watching them give audi fits... andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohms Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 damn, who to root for now story is here. doing it to save money, AFAIK they are still involved in rallying. too bad, it was fun watching them give audi fits... andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I was sad when I first heard - then found out about the team actually BEING in Sebring for testing when they heard. Now I'm plain mad. Peugeot has officially lost it's way, and I truly hope they STAY out of North America until they either find their way back to when they were a GOOD car company with product that people WANTED. The Korean car makers have figured this out in spades in a very short time, and if Peugeot doesn't figure it out soon - they'll simply disappear like Saab. Their LeMans "street cred" was worth it's weight in gold, and they now have nothing to draw brand recognition in emerging markets. They'd get slaughtered if they returned to North America. Stupid idiots... Cheese eating surrender monkey's INDEED! At least our classic Peugeot's were from an era where they had the balls to build the 205 T16 which dominated rally, AND conquer LeMans in the 905... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 the more i think about this, the more i think something is up. i posted a story a few days ago on the FB group about fiat/chrysler considering purchasing another company, possibly peugeot. the reasoning goes, fiat needs more access to china and peugeot is not doing so well in the euro market these days (european economic crisis/bad product decisions). it wouldn't surprise me if peugeot got bought by fiat/chrysler or a chinese company (like volvo). for some reason, car companies seem to be unable to prosper unless they are part of a large corporate group (with a few notable exceptions). while i hate to see companies with good cars go away (saab), i can't help but wonder if this consolidation is ultimately a good thing. if (hypothetical) fiat/chrysler/peugeot gets into trouble a decade or two from now, who would bail them out? the US? Italy? France? China? andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I think the Peugeot family is far too proud, and the French gov't too protectionist to allow complete foreign ownership. If they could get a tie in with Hyundia or another company that's doing well (IE: Subaru/Toyota, Renault/Nissan, VW/Audi/Porsche/Bugati/Lambo, etc etc) then they would likely stand a better chance. Hyundai could leverage Peugeot's racing pedigree and Peugeot would gain access to a great North American infrastructure. If they had tied up with Mitsubishi it would have been terrible - Mitsu is in very much the same boat as Peugeot - so pairing up would likely mean they sink together faster. It's ironic that decisions are made with finances and ROI as the highest priority to keep investors happy - but if you don't have a product people want and are in demand, it's incredibly short sighted. Sales will fall, brand reputation plummets, and investors flee as they can smell a sinking ship a mile away. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Agreed, there must have been some white knuckles around the Board table at 75 Avenue de la Grande Armée when they decided to pull the plug on the 908 program two days ago, having just received several 2012 spec tubs from Germany, making new parts for the 2012 model starting 4 weeks ago and being in Florida already for testing. You just don't do that sort of thing mid-stream unless there is a breathless panic at the highest levels in the corporation. I think this ranks right up there with the departure from North America as a betrayal for the enthusiasts. Jean Todt was asked to comment on this and he said that it's best to strengthen committments to programs like this when times are tough. This is exactly what happened when Peugeot began the 205 T16 program the last time they were a millimetre from going tits up. Peugeot is in deep trouble again, and this decision just made it worse. I figure in a few years they will be an arm of a larger corporation from another country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 The outlook looks kindda bleak though out the auto sector. Clearly, the only way to get into the US market it with a huge dollar commitment. You have to build a factory here. I'm sure they've done it for the Chinese - and hell, you don't get in bed with the Chinese without a minority position. I was one who suggested a tieup with Mitsubishi, but there's a 3rd tier player. They need world class premium cars. Would their current lineup work? I don't know. Even BMW with it's very profitable niche rolls out small numbers. Although FIAT is now an official heavy hitter, they're certainly not out of the woods. The turd known as Chrysler is still a heavy burden to bear. If I were a betting man, I'd say PSA has a better survival chance than FIAT/Chrysler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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