So here’s an interesting question. Do you think that Peugeot is on a par with Volkswagen? In other words, do you find the French brand equally desirable and making the same quality of cars?
Interestingly PSA’s chairman, Carlos Tavares, doesn’t think his company is quite there yet but reckons he can make it happen.
"My ambition is for Peugeots to be as good as Volkswagens and to sell at the same price," he told Autocar. "We have a great product, good brand values and great engineering and the facts will speak for themselves. Hopefully the stars will align and the customers will get it."
Maybe he has a point. The word is that recent models such as the Peugeot 2008 and the Peugeot 308, given a fillip from winning the European Car of the Year award, are selling well and commanding good prices in dealers.
Warranty experts will also quietly tell you that even older models are also as reliable, if not more so, than the Germans.
So the big questions are these: will us customers ever ‘get it’ as Mr Tavares wants us too, however good the cars become? Will the French ever be renowned for reliability and quality even if the data supports the theory? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
Join the debate
Add your comment
VWs are over-rated, and so are their dealers
Peugeot deserve to do well
VW cars too often don't have decent equipment as standard, you either have to pay a lot for options or go way up the model range. Want to turn off the front airbag to keep a baby safe? That'll be £45. Want curtain airbags to keep passengers safe? That'll be £640. Want to see the road in fog? That'll be £240. VW will charge you nearly £1000 for kit that Peugeot includes as standard. So what happens is that people end up driving a VW badge attached to a poverty spec car.
Peugeot are making good cars at reasonable prices, they just need to keep going.
Volkswagen? Reliable?
reliability