"...It's a return, a return to the millions of people who have never forgiven me..."
These are just part of one of the most famous lines uttered by the character Norma Desmond from the 1950s Hollywood film Sunset Boulevard. Miss Desmond, who in her younger days was one of the most popular silent film actresses, suddenly becomes irrelevant as the old silent films of the early 20th century were replaced by "talkies", putting the once shining silent film stars in the unemployment line, Norma Desmond being one of them. The film pretty much chronicles her attempts to become relevant again, (with the aid of a young writer named Joe Gillis), which ends in a disaster.
Will we see another "diasaster", which the impending return of the French automaker Peugeot?
Yes, Filipino car enthusiasts are abuzz about the return of Peugeot this July, which was first brought to the country by the now-defunct AutoFrance Philippines in 2003. However, an unfavorable exchange rate which resulted in expensive models in turn resulted to poor sales, causing the car brand to pull out of the country within just a few years of its launch.
However, as part of Peugeot's mother company PSA Peugeot Citroen's plan to expand internationally (aiming for 67% of their cars to be sold outside of Europe by 2020), we would definitely see the return of the brand to the country within the year, as the Philippines is part of the company's expansion strategy. This time, Peugeot cars will be imported and sold in the country courtesy of Asian Carmakers Corporation (the same company responsible for the distribution of BMW in the country), as well as Columbian Autocar Corporation (the distributor of Kia).
Recently, Peugeot had a groundbreaking ceremony for their new assembly plant in India, and it is possible that once constructions have been completed, this would be where Peugeot cars that would be sold in the country would come from,seeing the increasing popularity of Indian-assembled cars in the country (such as the Hyundai i10). Hopefully, this would result in lower selling prices that would be more attractive for the budget-conscious Philippine market.
Initially, the Peugeot line-up in the country would include the 3008, 5008, 508, 308CC and the RCZ. Should this second attempt by the brand become more successful, then it is likely that more Peugeot models would be introduced to the country. For now, we'll just have to wait and see if the Philippine market would meet the brand's expectations, and vice versa.
Here are some photos of the Peugeot vehicles that would be brought to the Philippines in July:
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| The 3008, a five-door crossover |
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| The 5008, a compact MPV |
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| The 508, a large family car |
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| The 308cc cabriolet |
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| The RCZ sports car |
Man, it looks like they're targeting the high-end market first. I was very interested in their new small 208 hatchback...
ReplyDeletePeugeot's cars look very sleek--but, in terms of price, I think they're still going to be a notch higher than the Japanese or Korean cars we Filipinos are used to. All European cars here are. :|
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