Could the âNewâ Dodge Dart be a Peugeot 308??
The product lineup meshes pretty well but doesnât compete with FCAâs. Makes sense from product standpoint. Fiat and Chrysler have quality issues, All the merged companies have reliability issues once the warranty is up.
But culturally, can a Italian-American-French-German mashup work? The power rests with Fiat first, Peugeot 2nd, Chrysler 3rd and Opel/Vauxhall last. The CEO comes from Fiat, the president from Peugeot. Can either make these 4 cultures work together successfully?
It will be fun to watch.
Iâve been cussing the Peugeot clutch slave cylinder for years and thankfully I no longer get under the hood of anything I donât own or doesnât suit me.
Lt. Columbo must be ecstatic.
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Iâd guess yes. Chrysler is already used to being a junior partner with Fiat. Rather than looking at nationalities,maybe it would be better to think of it as a union among European Union auto companies. Also, the auto industry is global now. How many plants do PSA and FCA have in Asia and South America?
I am not referring to the culture of the various countries as much as the corporate culture within the companies. There still exists significant cultural differences throughout the EU. Not just country to country but region to region as well.
Internal business culture can and does vary considerably. Fiat is used to being top dog as is Peugeot. Those dogs will disagree. Making those groups work together will be a challange.
I use to own a Peugeot bicycle when I was in college. It was OK. Hated those damn cotter pins on the crank though.
Many years ago, I bought a Peugeot bike, and the mail-in card to register the warranty asked, âWhat led you to the purchase of your Peugeot bicycle?â.
My response wasâŠ
My Peugeot pepper grinder has worked flawlessly for the past 20 years, so I assumed that your bicycle would be of equally-high quality. (Yes, in those days, their product line consisted of⊠bikes, motorbikes, cars, and pepper grindersâŠ)
My response was at least partially in jest, and I imagine that it led to someone at Peugeotâs offices scratching his/her head.
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We also have one of those . . . no complaints
As to Peugeot automobiles . . . I have SERIOUS doubts that they can market vehicles in the usa that will be considered high quality, reliable and will also retain value. In other words, I have doubts as to if they can compete with Honda, Toyota, and I suppose Subaru.
So, letâs see here.
Fiat. Chrysler. Peugeot.
This merger is going to create a concentration of suck so intense it may form a black hole. 
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+1
My long-ago pepper grinder comment was an attempt at humor, and their bikes were definitely of good quality. But, their cars⊠Nope!
In Europe, it appears that people only buy Peugeot/Citroen products if they have a very limited budget.
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About a year or so ago, I spied a late-model car on I-287 in NJ that did not look at all familiar to me. When I caught up to it, it was badged as one of the various European marques (I canât recall which one, unfortunatelyâŠ) that PSA manufactures, and it had âmanufacturerâ plates.
PSA established a US headquarters in NJ a few years ago (like most European mfrs), apparently in an attempt to reestablish themselves in this marketplace. Their recent merger/purchase with/of Fiat-Chrysler probably represents the next phase in their long-term strategy.
Donât forget Opel and Citroen!
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Back in the day the Peugeot 504 was known to be a reliable car, whatever it meant then.
Then the Peugeot 405 was not all that great.
I used to have a Peugeot road bike, but sold it and got a Kalkhauf which was better.
I looked at the Peugeot line and the only one that appealed to me was the (108 ) which would not sell very well in the US . Of course I like small vehicles . The rest of them would really offer nothing that is already here in the US and has a following.
I hear what youâre saying . . .
But from what Iâm reading . . . It was FCA who had the long-term strategy, not PSA
I spoke with a buddy at FCA HQ in Michigan today, and he told me there are no plans to introduce any PSA products to the US market.
You may be correct, but⊠Why would a company want to name itself after Prostate Specific Antigen, a marker for Prostate Cancer? IMHO, that is the dumbest move since a US-based automotive diploma mill decided to change its name to UTI, which is the medical abbreviation for Urinary Tract Infection.
Nobody wants a UTI, and no older males want a high readout of their PSA.
I dunno but just when I was starting to think I might take a chance on an Italian Jeep against my better judgement and considering the alternatives, we add Peugeot to the mix. The only advantage would be I could walk to the dealer, but who needs the exercise? Iâm just not feeling very comfortable with this whole thing. Then every couple months I go by that Belvedere plant and wonder what their future will be.
Back when I was a kid, our neighbor girl had a Peugeot. We used to play around it but I canât ever remember it being driven. It was always collecting dust in the garage. She was a stewardess so spose she flew to France a lot or something.
Speaking of UTI . . .
When I was at the Benz dealer, it was eventually decided that all ânewâ mechanics . . . meaning young guys who were just getting established in the business . . . would only arrive via the UTI feeder program
Very mixed results, I might say
Some were geniuses, others were idiots
But one thingâs for sure . . . among the UTI grads, the turnover was extremely high, especially after they found out that 6-figure incomes were quite unlikely for recent grads. Compound that with the fact that they now had debt hanging over there heads, along with the need to purchase/finance lots of tools, tool boxes, flag hours, etc. All that, while still paying the bills . . .
UTI lured these young guys in, with promises that graduating from the school would lead to the land of milk and honey 