How often have you seen a CEO announce that they don't need a dedicated electric car in their line-up? And that too at a time when every manufacturer, from Nissan to Ferrari, is developing at least one car to keep up with the 'trend'? Perhaps never; until now. Jean-Phillipe Imparato, CEO Peugeot, spoke with Autocar recently and revealed Peugeot's near-future plans which do not include a dedicated EV. Read on to know more.

Heart of the matter

Car manufacturers are mandated to keep a check on the emissions produced by their vehicles. When asked if the diesel sales downturn will prevent Peugeot from meeting the mandated CO2 targets, Jean-Phillipe said “No. We will absolutely hit our CO2 targets for 2021. And I don’t need to launch a electric car and make a loss to hit the targets; I will launch a mix of to protect my operation."

However, he also added, “I want Peugeot to be a leader in electrification so, by 2019, 8% of our model line-up will be electrified. And, by 2020, 50% . The electric transition for Peugeot is not in the future; it is now. In the coming ten years, I believe it is right to produce a dedicated electric model, but, in the next few years, I will have a modular platform because this will help us get maximum coverage of all the markets. It will give you the four energies: electric, hybrid, petrol and diesel."

Our Take

At a time when companies are stressing about EV's, Peugeot's CEO has made it clear that they will keep the Internal Combustion Engine cars alive and electric units will be 'variants' of the same. Perhaps, it's this attitude, confidence, and clear plans moving forward that helped Peugeot's sales grow by 10.4% in 2017. On the flipside, its siblings - Citroen and DS - recorded negative growth. Jean-Phillipe also stressed on how export sales helped Peugeot grow significantly. However, with countries like China, Germany, etc. commencing the ban on Internal Combustion Engines from as early as 2025, it'll be interesting to see how Peugeot will go ahead with it. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

References

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