Peugeot and Vauxhall owner PSA forms electric vehicle business unit

The new unit will be responsible for delivering the EV strategy for PAS’s five car brands, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall. PSA said the move was in response to the “challenges of the energy transition”.

“The energy transition is an opportunity that our company has seized by launching an unprecedented technological offensive made possible by our multi-energy platforms,” said Citroën’s chief executive Linda Jackson.

“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 EVs into the market.”

Alexandre Guignard has been appointed senior vice president of the business unit and will lead initiatives to help meet the group’s carbon targets in compliance the EU standards for CO2 emissions.  

The announcement follows a range of commitments from top car makers including VW, BMW, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover to ramp up investment into battery and EV research and manufacturing. In January, Ford announced it is going “all in” on the EV market with an $11bn plan to rollout 40 new vehicles. 

George Ogleby