The success of the C-Crosser on the British market has caused the media to speculate on further cooperations between Mitsubishi and PSA. While some rumours concern a Citroën pick up based on the Mitsubishi L200, other insiders report the possible return of Peugeot saloons on the American market thanks to Mitsubishi’s presence there.
This is not the first time that such a rumour has circulated. In 2000, it was said that Peugeot was thinking of exporting the Peugeot 607 onto American soil. Even though Jean-Martin Folz, PSA CEO denied the rumour at the time, Peugeot was conducting many surveys on how and what to launch in the USA. In 2004 Peugeot took a further step by launching a redesigned 607 that satisfied American regulations.
The first car that could be launched is the future 408 that will succeed the current 407 around 2011-2012. The saloon could be produced in the Mitsubishi’s Illinois plant but only sold in South America according to insiders. This is hard to believe when Peugeot already has a plant in Argentina. It makes sense to sell the future 408 in the USA if the car is being built there.
However, instead of the Peugeot cars PSA should sell Citroën, which still has a strong brand image thanks to iconic models like the DS or SM. The Citroën even won a design award in New York in 2005.
Insiders also say that PSA is reluctant to enter the US market due to the poor image of France in America, linked to the former’s refusal to support the US-led invasion of Iraq.
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