The PSA group, which includes the French automotive brands Peugeot, Citroën, DS and now Opel, have fallen behind competitors in the transition to electric vehicles, but they have now created a new EV division ahead of launching their first next-gen electric car.
In a press release last week, the company announced that its new electric business unit (BU) will be “responsible for defining and deploying the Group’s electric vehicle strategy and rolling out the related products and services.”
Alexandre Guignard, who most recently was Senior Vice President of C and D Programs at the PSA Group has been put in charge of the new BU and he will report directly to Citroën CEO Linda Jackson
Jackson commented:
“The energy transition is an opportunity that our company has seized by launching an unprecedented technological offensive made possible by our multi-energy platforms. The challenge for this Business Unit, which benefits from an experience built up over several years within the Group, will be to provide the best vehicles at the best time to satisfy our customers and thereby ensure the best economic conditions for launching Groupe PSA’s electric vehicles into the market.”
The brands had a few different EV programs in the past, like an all-electric version of the Berlingo compact van, the all-electric E-Méhari, and the DS E-Tense all-electric supercar, but their biggest venture into the electric market has arguably been the Ampera E since their acquisition of Opel last year.
The vehicle has been extremely popular in Europe, but since it is based on the Chevy Bolt EV manufactured by GM, the supply has been very limited since PSA acquired Opel.
Instead, they are now working on their own new electric platforms to release 4 new EVs and 7 PHEVs starting next year.
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