GM Refuses To Produce Cars For Peugeot

General Motors and Peugeot recently tied up to share technology and reduce R&D costs. Soon, news was spread around that Peugeot is pulling off its Indian manufacturing plant plans, thereby relying on General Motors to produce cars for them in India. Such news repeatedly surfaced at various auto events in the recent past. There was no official confirmation regarding the same. The recent European crisis has created financial problems for Peugeot and thus the company wants to withhold investments temporarily.

However General Motors has now confirmed that it can’t share manufacturing capacity with Peugeot in India. The American automaker has aggressive plans for the Indian market and is lining up a slew of products to boost its volumes in the country Currently GM has an annual capacity of 1.4 lakh units at Talegaon. The company manufacturers around 80,000 units of the Beat diesel there, leaving 60,000 units of idle capacity. This capacity will be utilized by the upcoming Sail twins and Enjoy MPV, thus leaving the company with no capacity to spare.

This news comes as a very negative one for Peugeot, as the French automaker was expecting help from GM for its second re-entry in the Indian market. Currently the Peugeot plant is still not ready for production and manufacturing could take as long as 2014. This would not only delay Puegeot’s Indian ambitions but also lead to more competition later on. It is left to see, what direction the French automaker takes as far as the Indian car market is concerned.

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Peugeot To Produce Its Cars At GM’s Halol Plant

The French auto maker, Peugeot announced its plans to enter the Indian automotive market when it displayed a slew of its models at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. Peugeot was present in the India market about a decade ago but phased out its operations when it couldn’t make any profits and was found in a tough situation with its then partner – Premier Auto. Now, with India emerging in the global market with tremendous potential for an automobile market, the company is willing to return back to the country.

Peugeot also announced this year that the company plans to setup its own assembly plant with an investment of close to Rs. 4500 crores. The proposed site for the setting up of the plant was Sanand, Gujarat and the company had already laid the foundation stone at Sanand which is close to Ford’s upcoming facility. But unfortunately, with Peugeot facing a grim situation back in its home country, the company was forced to reconsider its India-bound plans and pull the plug temporarily. Even if Peugeot goes full throttle, they won’t be able to start producing vehicles at their upcoming plant before 2014.

Currently the company is pursuing other strategic options to keep its India-bound hopes alive. One such is a strategic partnership with General Motors. The company has informed the state industries department that it is exploring a joint venture with GM, which operates its biggest India facility in Halol. But Peugeot company officials said it was too early to talk anything about that matter. Earlier, GM and PSA Peugeot had announced a global alliance in which the Detroit carmaker will buy a 7% stake in Europe’s second largest auto company. This makes GM the second largest shareholder after the Peugeot family.

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At GM’s Halol Plant Peugeot To Produce Its Cars

The French auto maker, Peugeot announced its plans to enter the Indian automotive market when it displayed a slew of its models at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. Peugeot was present in the India market about a decade ago but phased out its operations when it couldn’t make any profits and was found in a tough situation with its then partner – Premier Auto. Now, with India emerging in the global market with tremendous potential for an automobile market, the company is willing to return back to the country.

Peugeot also announced this year that the company plans to setup its own assembly plant with an investment of close to Rs. 4500 crores. The proposed site for the setting up of the plant was Sanand, Gujarat and the company had already laid the foundation stone at Sanand which is close to Ford’s upcoming facility. But unfortunately, with Peugeot facing a grim situation back in its home country, the company was forced to reconsider its India-bound plans and pull the plug temporarily. Even if Peugeot goes full throttle, they won’t be able to start producing vehicles at their upcoming plant before 2014.

Currently the company is pursuing other strategic options to keep its India-bound hopes alive. One such is a strategic partnership with General Motors. The company has informed the state industries department that it is exploring a joint venture with GM, which operates its biggest India facility in Halol. But Peugeot company officials said it was too early to talk anything about that matter. Earlier, GM and PSA Peugeot had announced a global alliance in which the Detroit carmaker will buy a 7% stake in Europe’s second largest auto company. This makes GM the second largest shareholder after the Peugeot family.

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Peugeot Slows Down India Entry --

Peugeot has slammed brakes on its India entry, delaying its foray into one of the emerging automobile markets in the world. This news comes as a real bummer as the French automaker had showcased a good range of cars at the 2012 Auto Expo. The reason for slowing down the re-entry is to evaluate the complete project to ensure every money is spent rightly. The current Euro crisis has led to drop in sales of PSA Peugeot Citroen and thus Europe’s second largest car manufacturer is reviewing its India plans. The company has shut down its office in Mumbai as part of this evaluation and has re-scheduled the re-entry into India project.
Peugeot acquired land in Sanand in Gujarat for its India facility, pumping Rs. 4500 crore in the project which would give them an annual capacity of 1.7 lakh vehicles. The construction of the plant started in November 2011 and is expected to start rolling out cars by 2014. Just today morning we reported about how Fiat and Peugeot could come together to become a force to reckon with. Peugeot has already tried to partner with Dunlop India and Eicher Motors but only in vain. Currently 39% sales come outside of Europe for Peugeot and the India foray is part of Peugeot’s plan to get 50% of sales outside of Europe by 2015. The Peugeot 208 hatchback could help the company create volumes but an entry in 2014 could be too little too late.

Peugeot Slows Down India Entry

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Peugeot 508 Sedan, 3008 MPV, RCZ Sports Car & 908 Race Car Showcased At Auto Expo

We are eagerly waiting for Peugeot to enter the market because this French major has all what is needed to be successful. The products are not only premium but are value for money at the same time. At the 2012 Auto Expo the major showcased a couple of products hinting that very soon we would see the official launch of some of the cars.

The company showcased Peugeot 508 sedan, Peugeot 3008 MPV along with its hybrid version, Peugeot RCZ sports car and Peugeot 908 race car.

Peugeot 508

image – Peugeot 508 sedan

This is the car we have been talking about for months and we also managed to get the exclusive pictures and technical specifications of the 508 Indian model. At the Auto Expo it turned out to be head turner and the credit is to be given to the brilliant look of the car. The car is expected to be launched soon and will be priced at around Rs. 20 Lakh ex-showroom. The car will be brought via the CBU route.

image – Peugeot 508 sedan

Peugeot 3008 Hybrid

image – Peugeot 3009 MPV

The car is an important MPV for the carmaker globally and the Hybrid version of the same is the world’s first diesel full hybrid. The hybrid version combines a 2.0 litre 163 BHP HDi diesel engine with a 37 BHP electric motor to perform efficiently. The same has a superior combined drive fuel consumption of 74.4 mpg and CO2 emissions of 99g/km.

image – Peugeot 3009 MPV

Peugeot RCZ

image – Peugeot RCZ Sports Car

Initially the RCZ was projected as a concept car but over the years it turned into reality. The car is innovative and expressive in terms of styling, luxurious, efficient and most importantly environment friendly. The car’s powertrain is based on same combination as in 3009 Hybrid 4: a 2.0 litre HDi FAP 163 BHP in front and a 37 BHP electric motor at the rear. This concept has emissions of only 95 g/km of CO2 while it is benefitted with the 200 BHP and four wheel drive.

image – Peugeot RCZ Sports Car

Peugeot 908

image – Peugeot 908 race car

Peugeot 908 is the car that has been gracing the tracks of Le Mans Series at Silverstone and features a hybrid power plant. The car has the capability to be powered by three means:

• Electric mode only (e.g. in the pit-lane)
• Internal combustion engine only
• A combination of the two

The car is also equipped with KERS or Kinetic Energy Recovery System that generates extra power for the car at instances when a sudden boost is needed.

image – Peugeot 908 race car

Peugeot Cars Exclusive Pictures From 2012 Auto Expo

image –Peugeot 3008 Hybrid

image –Peugeot 3008 Hybrid

image –Peugeot 3008 Hybrid

image –Peugeot RCZ

image –Peugeot RCZ

image – Peugeot RCZ Interiors

image –Peugeot 3008

image –Peugeot 3008

image –Peugeot 3008

image –Peugeot 3008

image –Peugeot 3008 Interiors

image –Peugeot 3008 Interiors

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The New 2012 Peugeot 107

Peugeot’s new 2012 107, that was shown at the Brussels Motor Show, has been given a facelift that brings it in line with Peugeot’s new aesthetic. The new model is the first major change to the Franco-Japanese city triplets for the 107 that was jointly developed with Citroen and Toyota.
Exterior modifications include a tight-fitting look with a sculpted-out area of the bonnet with the combative lion badge. The grille and bumper graphics are lightly retouched too, while the nose has been fitted with LED day-running lights. The model is available as a three or five door.

Under the hood, the 998cc triple has 68bhp and 70lb ft of torque and if pushed far enough, the driver can reach 62mph in just 14.2 seconds. The three-cylinder petrol engine has been adjusted to nudge emisisons under 100g/km by a single digit of CO2
The 107 has also received a technology boost with Bluetooth connectivity and USB plugs for music access.
Priced from just £7, 995, the new 107 will be available in the UK from February the timing of which is perfect to compete with VW’s new Up.
Source: Car Magazine

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