PSA (Peugeot / Citroen) in talks to pick up GM European business – Opel in Europe and Vauxhall in UK.
Bit of a shock to learn that PSA, maker of Peugeot, Citroen and DS, is in talks with GM to buy Opel and Vauxhall. Both sides have issued statements confirming this, but also saying that this outcome isn’t inevitable: “There can be no assurance that an agreement will be reached.”
The two firms do have a track record of ownership and working together on SUV platforms. Plus GM in Europe has been a financial basket case for years with zero profits send back to Detroit.
The two companies have been working on a joint venture to build a pair of crossovers. They will hit the road this year. In each case there’s a pairing of a PSA car and an Opel-Vauxhall car. In each pair, a common platform is used, and a common factory. But they look different, we’re assured. The smaller pair are the Vauxhall Crossland X and the replacement for the Citroen C3 Picasso. Citroen will have a concept version of its car at the Geneva show next week. The bigger pair are the Peugeot 3008, and an Opel-Vauxhall crossover called Grandland X built on that platform, which we’ll see later in 2017
If the deal goes ahead PSA would jump over arch rival Renault to be the seconds largest European brand behind VW group.
However there must be many issues to resolve. For example the existing GM European cars share many components and platforms from the US . GM also imports and Astra amd Mokka and flogs them as Buicks in the US. Not to mention European factories are way over capacity.
So if PSA buys Opel-Vauxhall, we can assume that’s the sort of thing that’ll go on across the ranges. Very much like all those VW sibling brands sharing platforms. And we can assume that because of which company is the buyer and which the bought, the Vauxhalls will be more like Peugeots than the Peugeots will feel like Vauxhalls.
Do PSA know what they are doing? Will the Bolt become a Peugeot?