Peugeot currently has a “healthy” order book and is looking to expand electric-vehicle options even as signs mount that auto demand is softening worldwide, Linda Jackson, the brand’s CEO, said.
As part of its EV push, the brand is rolling out a pay-as-you-go program in Europe, where customers can pay a monthly and per-kilometer fee for its e-208 model.
Owned by auto giant Stellantis, Peugeot has seen EV sales remain solid despite competition from Chinese manufacturers, Jackson said in an interview. She added, however, that ongoing European Union debate over the details of the green transition is weighing on the shift to EVs.
Potential buyers are “slightly confused because there have been some mixed messages coming out” of the European Union about the use of e-fuels and the timeline to phase out combustion engines, she said.
Yet as the shift to EVs continues, European automakers are under growing pressure to make higher quality vehicles more cheaply. The competition has become more intense as inflation and a global slowdown set off aggressive price cuts by Tesla and others.
For Peugeot, being able to draw on technologies within the Stellantis family of brands is key to producing EVs more efficiently, Jackson said.
“We are also sharing a lot of the technology between those 14 brands,” she said. “As brands CEOs we can choose which technology we want.”
The brand has no plans to enter the U.S. market and aims to keep growing in South America and other countries, including South Africa, Malaysia, Thailand and Morocco.
At the same time, the company plans to incorporate a quickly evolving set of design options to appeal to buyers’ tastes and needs. Peugeot will introduce a rectangular steering control center, inspired by videogames, starting in 2026 or 2027, Jackson said.
