Take Two: PSA Group Confirms Peugeot's Return to U.S.

Twenty-eight years after limping out of the U.S. marketplace, news comes of Peugeot’s impending return. While we’ve known for nearly three years that a newly invigorated PSA Group plans to slowly increase its presence in North America, ultimately offering French cars for retail sale, until Monday the exact brand at the forefront of the plan remained a mystery.

Wonder no more. The last French brand offered for sale in North America will be the next one offered for sale.

The news came in an update to the automaker’s Push to Pass strategic plan. With efficiencies achieved and new markets in its sights, phase two of the plan is underway. Just don’t expect Tricolor flag decals anytime soon.

The automaker’s North American re-entry is a work in progress. First up is the continued expansion of PSA’s Free2Move mobility effort, which first landed in Seattle in 2017. The vehicles earmarked for the U.S. and Canadian markets must be designed and built with those countries’ regulations in mind, and the homologation process has apparently already begun. PSA will need locations for sales and service. Based on news reports from last year, the automaker will likely opt for a traditional franchised dealer network in 15 states and four provinces.

Until PSA says otherwise, the latest arrival date is still 2026.

According to Automotive News, PSA boss Carlos Tavares said the first U.S.-bound vehicles will make the trip from factories in Europe and China. Other markets get their own PSA brand, with India gaining Citroën vehicles and Russia receiving Opel products, PSA claims.

In its first U.S. go-round, Peugeot sales hit a peak in 1984, dwindling sharply in the years following. Its last year in the market, 1991, saw just 3,555 Peugeots leave dealer lots. PSA isn’t taking chances, so slow and cautious is the name of the game.

[Images: Peugeot]