French Invasion of Georgia Underway After Groupe PSA Chooses Atlanta for American HQ

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

It’s likely the vanguard of the invasion force is already on Georgia soil, probably after landing at Hartsfield-Jackson following a nice Air France flight from Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle. Don’t be scared, though. These people are delivering choice to new car buyers, at least once their plan is fully underway.

Groupe PSA, maker of Peugeot, Citroën, and DS vehicles, announced Tuesday that Atlanta will become home to its new North American headquarters. It’s an early but crucial step in the company’s decade-long plan to return to the American automotive scene.

The new HQ will be operational by February, the automaker claims. Already, there’s a core team laying the groundwork for the company’s cautious product strategy — one designed to gradually acclimatize Americans to French cars before actually offering them for sale.

“We looked at every aspect of the Atlanta community and found it to be the most suitable location for us,” said Larry Dominique, President of PSA North America, in a statement.

“While the overall business environment, standard of living and university system played an important part in our decision, our unique needs in terms of technology, mobility innovation and car culture ultimately identified Atlanta as our perfect choice.”

PSA first announced its plan to return to the U.S. — following a quarter-century absence — in 2016. It’s a three-phase plan, the first phase of which is already underway. PSA started out by launching its Free2Move “mobility aggregation platform” in Seattle last October. Via an app, users can search carsharing 0r bikesharing services in a particular area, then book whatever vehicle from whatever service that strikes their fancy. PSA plans to spread the service to other U.S. cities, with car rental services added this year.

Sure, it’s hardly a gleaming Citroën DS parked in your driveway, but the company’s being cautious. The second phase of the plan involves offering mobility services (carsharing) with the company’s own vehicles. While users won’t be able to buy a Peugeot, et al, they’ll be able to drive one around and imagine they’re coasting down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

The third phase of the company’s plan, naturally, is retail sales. Francophiles face a long wait, as this won’t take place until well into the coming decade. Still, the automaker is planning its next generation of vehicles to be compatible with American safety standards, so there’s no question as to the company’s seriousness.

PSA joins Mercedes-Benz USA and Porsche Cars North America in setting up its U.S. base of operations in Atlanta.

[Image: Peugeot]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • JohnTaurus JohnTaurus on Jan 23, 2018

    I, for one, welcome them and wish them well. Hope they bring over some unique products and their very nice looking luxury cars (DS).

  • CombiCoupe99 CombiCoupe99 on Jan 24, 2018

    Here we go again! I don't think these folks understand the deep contempt Americans collectively have for French cars. I think its safe to say that most folks would choose even a FIAT over a French "insert brand here."

  • THX1136 Always liked the Mustang though I've never owned one. I remember my 13 yo self grabbing some Ford literature that Oct which included the brochure for the Mustang. Using my youthful imagination I traced the 'centerfold' photo of the car AND extending the roof line back to turn it into a small wagon version. At the time I thought it would be a cool variant to offer. What was I thinking?!
  • GregLocock That's a bodge, not a solution. Your diff now has bits of broken off metal floating around in it.
  • The Oracle Well, we’re 3-4 years in with the Telluride and right around the time the long term durability issues start to really take hold. This is sad.
  • CoastieLenn No idea why, but nothing about a 4Runner excites me post-2004. To me, they're peak "try-hard", even above the Wrangler and Gladiator.
  • AZFelix A well earned anniversary.Can they also attend to the Mach-E?
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