[Highh5]

Hindustan Motors sells Ambassador car brand to Peugeot

Ambassador, the iconic Indian car brand that till less than a decade ago carried both the Prime Minister and the common man, is being sold to French carmaker Peugeot.
The C K Birla Group-owned Hindustan Motors formalised the deal for Rs 80 crore on Friday. Production of Ambassador cars had stopped around three years ago.

Source

[RavenAvi]

Rohin Nagrani tweets:

[arjab]

Am getting a feeling they will push in their North Africa Model lineup for India as an immediate series of products for our country.
Environment and driving conditions are quite similar and the French lion's African vehicles come with upgraded suspensions, higher ground clearances, higher profile tyres and the ability to perform well using low quality fuel.

Let's wait and watch!

[krishnakarthik1]

Originally Posted by GTO

This has DISASTER written all over it.

My advice to Peugeot - don't bother. You'll only be wasting your time.

Adding one more to your disaster list is how hard it is to pronounce the brand name. I googled and understood that its 'Peu-Jo' and 'Pyu-gat'

[Axe77]

Peugeot lost me at 4 speed automatic.

I wish someone would give a VW Polo GT TSI like fun to drive offering in a "reliable" package like the Baleno, Swift, Jazz or even i20.

[SwapnilNalavade]

Heads of the now defunct car manufacturer PAL--Peugeot Ltd have been sentenced to six months of imprisonment for ignoring a consumer forum order passed 18 years ago to refund the booking amounts of two of its car purchasers.

And the delay in following the order may cost PAL—Peugeot directors Maitreya Doshi and Arvind Doshi over Rs 250 crore. An estimated 40,000 customers, who had put down Rs 25,000 each in booking amounts in 1995 for the company’s then newly launched sedan, may now use the consumer forum order as a precedent and seek compensation.

The ghosts of Pal-Peugeot come back to haunt Peugeot when it's starting afresh in India.

Complete article : http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/cover-story/pal-peugeot-bosses-face-jail-for-ignoring-thane-courts-order/articleshow/57698833.cms"].

[volkman10]

Will the PSA Group be third time lucky in cracking the Indian Auto segment.
Draws out a plan targeting 2020 time horizon, will not enter the fiercely competitive entry level compact segment. Here are its plans,

- SUV inspired hatchback in the Compact Hatchback Segment ( to rival Maruti Suzuki Swift)
- Compact SUV ( to rival Renault's Duster / Hyundai's Creta)
- Mid Sized Sedan ( to rival Honda's City)

Internally called Smart Car 1, Smart car 2 and Smart car 3, it has engaged TCS as the consulting firm for engineering development and sourcing support.
All cars will be built on the CMP platform -which is modular in nature, which enhances commonality of parts.

All vehicles will be designed for the emerging markets with Iran, S America and the ASEAN regions.



Link

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Here are its plans,

- SUV inspired hatchback in the Compact Hatchback Segment ( to rival Maruti Suzuki Swift)
- Compact SUV ( to rival Renault's Duster / Hyundai's Creta)
- Mid Sized Sedan ( to rival Honda's City)

Internally called Smart Car 1, Smart car 2 and Smart car 3, it has engaged TCS as the consulting firm for engineering development and sourcing support.
All cars will be built on the CMP platform -which is modular in nature, which enhances commonality of parts.

They already possess the above vehicles in their portfolio, which are selling at the same price point abroad.

Why do we need a made-for-India product?
The last thing we need is low rent interiors and ugly exteriors in the name of especially made-for-india!

Compact Hatchback: They have 2 choices here. The 108 or the 208.
Prices start from Euro 13000 & 14500 respectively.




SUV to compete with Creta/Duster:
They have the 2008.
Prices start from Euro 19500.



The only product they lack is the Honda City/Ciaz rival.
Simple solution would be to take the 208 and slap and boot onto it.

[Abhi_Automobile]

TCS as Consulting firm!! What about spending some money on McKinsey or Bain? Poor entering and execution strategy could be single reason of downfall.

PS: Please don't get hung up on TCS thingy. I am trying to stress on thinking this through, at the back of solid market research.

Disclaimer: I have no interest in any mentioned firms.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Why do we need a made-for-India product?
The last thing we need is low rent interiors and ugly exteriors in the name of especially made-for-india!

Its easier to cut costs, ground-up when the model is also made for this country. I don't think this is going to change anytime soon, VW has tied up with TATA for the same purpose and its bad enough that Renault first came in the Indianised form via Mahindra, then in the Japan'd form via Nissan, and now we have Peugeot doing the same. Basically no one is going to stop until each of the companies collaborate in one way or another in the bid to share facilities, cost of manufacturing and brainstorm on how to increase profitability.

The French car manufacturers are clueless, and terrible at marketing, they'd survive in Europe where they have the existing infrastructure and brand awareness, rest I think the Koreans (including upcoming KIA) and even the *now failing* Japanese brands will destroy them in a country where they have considerable experience of 2 decades+, building trust, service stations and brand loyalty.

With their national reputation coming back to get them due to their shenanigans the last time, Peugeot have a real task ahead, its not about being closed minded or being against something new, I simply don't think they have it in them to succeed. The luxury car brands like BMW and Mercedes have a better understanding of local needs as of now.

[sgiitk]

Now there are rumours that PSA may buy out the GM unit? What is going on? It is too tough to call.

[RavenAvi]

According to a fresh Overdrive report, PSA-Citroen is planning to launch the 208 & 308 hatchbacks in India first, which will be followed by the 2008 & 3008 compact SUVs.

Initially, by 2020, most offerings under the Peugeot badge will be brought in via the CKD route, while the CBU units will be introduced at a later date. The HM (Hindustan Motors) factory at Chennai will serve as the base of operations of the PSA group - assembly and production will be shared with Isuzu's operations at this largely underutilised facility.

the Peugeot Group is betting big on HM's manufacturing facility in Chennai. Previously used by Isuzu for starting its Indian operations, this factory is currently underutilised. Peugeot, by virtue of owning this plant, will require less investment with a ready set-up. Two-thirds of the Rs 700 crore earmarked by the PSA-Birla venture for investment in India will come from the French company while the rest will be borne by CK Birla. The initial plan will be to bring in CKD models based on Peugeot's Common Modular Platform. The CBUs will start arriving at a later date.
The source tells us that the 5-door 208 hatchback will be the first one to come here. Slightly shorter than the Elite i20 at 3,962mm, its main competitor, the 208, will likely be manufactured locally. It will come with the naturally aspirated 82PS 1.2-litre petrol. The diesel being above 1.5 litres may not be available at the outset here.
The next model is the 308. The 4.2m-long hatchback has been unveiled internationally earlier this year. However, its specifications are yet to be disclosed. It will also be manufactured in Chennai.
Peugeot's SUV line-up in India will include the 2008 and 3008. The 3008 is newer and it even won the 2017 Car of the Year Award at the Geneva Motor Show. The 1.2-litre petrol engine is shared with the 208 but has a higher power output of 131PS because of a turbocharger. The 1.6-litre diesel makes between 99-120PS and we expect it to show up first.
The 2008 is slightly shorter than the 3008 at 4,159mm. Due for a facelift next year, the Creta rival features heated ORVMs, a tyre pressure monitoring system, ESP with hill assist and six airbags as standard. Peugeot will use the same engines on the 3008. Both the 2008 and 3008 SUVs will be available only in two-wheel-drive configurations, but with the Grip feature which is a rotary knob through which the driver can select various driving modes like Sand, Snow and Mud. While the 2008 will be assembled here, the 3008 will be a CBU.

[DicKy]

Love the quirky weird interior designs. Also properly French unlike Renault India offerings.

The 308 interiors


And my current interior favorites: the 3008 and 5008 (guess both are the same with different lengths and number of seats)

[reignofchaos]

The 308 GTI has a turbo 1.6 that produces 270 HP. That is just ridiculous!

[StarrySky]

A report in the online edition of Mathrubhumi newspaper suggests that the 3008 will be the first car to be launched by Peugeot in its new entry to the Indian auto market. The report speculates that the GT-line and GT versions of the SUV are considered for India. The report also mentions the Creta, Duster and BRV as possible rivals of the 3008. The report is in Malayalam, so I am not putting the link here.

GT-line and GT trims are towards the higher end of the 3008 range here. In GT guise, the 3008 is certainly not a cheap car (priced near the 150HP DSG Tiguan Comfortline here in Finland). It rivals the Tiguan in size. I would be very surprised if they manage to price it at Creta levels.