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\nPeugeot 506\u00a0in Chrysler Sebring or Newport form<\/i><\/p>\n
PSA has been planning to set up a return of the Peugeot brand in the United States for some time; merging with Fiat Chrysler will help that plan along by bringing in a distribution system for parts and vehicles.<\/p>\n
Many are wondering now if Peugeot will still want to sell cars under its own brand in the United States, a country which has not ever really been friendly to French cars, or whether they will simply co-opt the Chrysler brand. In short, will Chrysler move from being a minivan-and-large-car brand to being a minivan-and-French-car brand?<\/p>\n
\nPeugeot 506\u00a0in Chrysler Sebring or Newport form<\/i><\/p>\n
In the past, AMC and Chrysler sold Renaults as Eagles (and the final Dodge Monaco), but few Americans bought them. Likewise, Chrysler sold its captive European cars \u201cStateside\u201d without much success\u2014until it dramatically Americanized a SIMCA and sold it as the Plymouth Horizon. Likewise, when Fiat brought over Chryslers under the Lancia name, customers responded with yawns, though perhaps the main reason for that was the obviousness of the move. Two of the three cars were already sold in Europe as Chryslers, and for the Voyager, they didn’t change the model name.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Chrysler had far more luck selling Mitsubishi cars and trucks under its various brands, without actually modifying them except, in some cases, in appearance.<\/p>\n
Fiat thought Americans would love the idea of true Italian cars, because Americans like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. That only proves that Americans like very expensive, practically unattainable, impractical cars, and then mostly on magazine covers and posters. When Fiats started showing up, response was tepid at best. Would the hard-to-spell Peugeot do any better? (Citro\u00ebns, needless to say, were not seriously considered; and the DS doesn\u2019t seem to be selling well\u00a0anywhere<\/em>.)<\/p>\n That is the decision that stands before Peugeot today. Should they relaunch Chrysler in Peugeot\u2019s image? Would a Peugeot crossover end up being rebadged as, say, the Chrysler Aspen (never a fortunate name for the company)? It would instantly provide Chrysler with a series of electrified cars, helping to deal with its fuel-economy shortfalls, and provide product to keep the brand going. But is the Chrysler name an asset or a liability? Many see it as the company that nearly went under in the 1970s, and did go under in the 2000s. On the other hand, the Peugeots certainly couldn\u2019t be Dodges, with their little 1.6 liter engines and clearly-not-Dodge styling.<\/p>\n
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