In the past you would only meet auto CEOs at mega trade shows in Frankfurt, Geneva or Tokyo. But for Auto Zurich, Peugeot boss Linda Jackson (63) made an exception. After meeting with the management team of Peugeot importer Emil Frey, she visited the fair and told where she wanted to direct her brand.
By next year, every model in the series should have an electric version, and by 2025 every model will also be available in all-electric. “And we want to sell 100 percent all-electric vehicles by 2030,” Jackson says. Peugeot technically uses the common modular system in the Stellantis group.
Brands share technology
Four different electric platforms are available and in the future there will also be hydrogen drives and modules for autonomous driving, for example. “But I only see fully autonomous driving for commercial vehicles at the moment – we’re not going to go that far with passenger cars,” says Jackson. One of the 14 Stellantis brands, Peugeot can use the modular system suitable for positioning. Despite the same technology, significant differences in design, and especially in the interior, should ensure that Peugeot and its sister Opel, for example, do not alienate customers from each other.
Jackson is currently having the most fun with his brand’s participation in the WEC long-distance race series with Swiss driver Nico Müller: “I still have no real idea about motorsport. But I support them because I can be up close and personal with the races.” The 9X8 race car is like a baby: “Every time I see it, it can do a little more.”