Peugeot deserves to be better known in the UK, regional boss Julie David has said, as she seeks to replicate the success in the UK that the French firm has had on the continent.
While Peugeot ranked second in Europe last year for sales, behind Volkswagen, a number of brands were ahead of it in the UK, including Audi, BMW, Kia and VW.
“It’s about how we build the brand in the UK,” said David. “It’s a brand that deserves to be more well-known, particularly for Gen Z. The products are amazing. We have contemporary modern design. The World Endurance Championship [in which Peugeot has just entered its new 9X8 hypercar] is really authentic and builds awareness. The customer journey is something we need to build on. It’s crucial for us and all brands.”
David admitted that there has in the past been “a challenge” around French brands being embraced in the UK but added that the nod to Frenchness in the latest Peugeot 308 advert - which uses a French song called Mon Manège à Moi - has been well received. “We have to be very credible in the way we use French culture [to market cars],” she said.
Last year, Peugeot held 3.7% UK market share. In the future, once the turbulence caused by semiconductor shortages has settled down, it “really should be 6%”, David said.
“Overall, we’re down but less down than others. The unpredictability is greater than last year. We’re not going to see supply come back this year," she continued.
“Ultimately, we should have much greater market share, and the new 408 is an additional vehicle, although we removed the 108. Market share shouldn't come at the expense of anything else. We must deliver consistently every time throughout the whole process.”
Peugeot has seen particular growth of the e-208 and e-2008 electric cars, while orders for the new 308 hatchback show 40% of demand is for the plug-in hybrid variant – significantly more than the 6.4% of the total PHEV market year to date.
“We want to be known as a low-emissions vehicle brand,” said David. “2030 isn’t very far off when you think about cars in a family. We have a duty of care to make sure everything is talking about LEVs. The difference in the knowledge and confidence around LEVs that our retailers have now compared to three years ago is huge.”
Talking about Peugeot’s move towards an agency model and online sales, she commented: “If we want to build brand image, we’ve got to move away from dealing. We need more clarity for buyers: what am I paying and what am I getting?”
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'Peugeot want to be known as a low emission brand'. How sad. Firstly they were once known as the brand that only made drivers cars, But no more. And how does being low emission make them different to anyone else?
Now they make cars for French Eco tax laws, some of which work for UK CoCar drivers, but their normal stuff which the general public might buy lacks any sparkle or appeal.
I imagine the same challenge will exist for all brands going forward, but some will deal with it better than others. ICE cars still have 8 years. Thats longer than a whole model cycle in many cases, yet already they have given up.
And its not that i am anti Peugeot, i have probably owned more Peugeots than any other brand, and still have 3, but the newest is now 23 years old, and nothing much newer has any appeal. A sad situation, that wont be helped by 'improving brand awareness' of the current range
I find the allusion that Peugeot no longer makes "drivers" cars to be a fallacy. The porky Peugeot 407 could handle 1g of lateral acceleration, the Peugeot 308 Gti beat a Honda Civic Type R on a twisty track despite it having a far more sophisticated suspension, the 508 tops its class in moose test and 508PSE has been reported as fantastic in the handling department. Nothing has been lost, but the market has moved to other things and Peugeot has to move too.