Electromobility
Peugeot and the pursuit of an electric car brand in Europe
Peugeot wants to become a purely electric car brand in Europe
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Peugeot wants to become an electric car brand in Europe. The car manufacturer from the Stellantis Group wants to switch completely to electromobility by 2030. This means that combustion cars will no longer exist in the future.
Peugeot wants to finally write off the internal combustion engine. By the year 2030, the automaker wants to sell exclusively pure electric cars in Europe, as Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson told “Automotive News Europe”. The move comes five years before the EU’s proposal to only allow emission-free vehicles from 2035.
The entire product range will be electrified by 2024, Jackson told the US automobile magazine. With the next model generation 3008, the next major market launch at Peugeot is pending. The car manufacturer has not yet commented on other types of drive.
Stellantis wants to invest billions in electromobility
Within the Stellantis brands, which include Opel, Fiat, Jeep and Citroën, data on the phase-out of the internal combustion engine are also known: DS Automobiles is planning an end to the internal combustion engine in 2026, Alfa Romeo in 2027 and Opel / Vauxhall in 2028 By the year 2025, Stellantis intends to invest 30 billion euros in the electrification of its vehicle models. In-house battery production is also planned. At the end of November, the car company announced an agreement with Vulcan Energy. According to this, Stellantis should receive tens of thousands of tons of lithium hydroxide over a period of five years from 2026. The car company wants to use it to produce batteries for electric cars in Europe. By 2030, Stellantis finally wants to achieve over 70 percent of sales in Europe (currently around 14 percent) and over 40 percent in the US, low-emission vehicles with battery or hybrid electric drives, said CEO Carlos Tavares.
Around the middle of the decade, Stellantis plans to convert all models to four platforms: STLA Small, Medium, Large and Frame (truck). The platforms should be designed for electromobility, but still deliver combustion engines in the markets where the transition to electromobility is still slow.
This is what Peugeot looks like too. The French carmaker will continue to produce internal combustion engines for the international market, said Jackson. Around 70 percent of the Peugeot model range is currently electrified – fully electric or hybrid. These include the small SUV 2008 and the small car 208 (electric option), the compact SUV 3008 and the new small car 308 (plug-in hybrid, a fully electric 308 is planned for 2023) as well as all commercial vehicles and vans (electric option).
Car manufacturers are aiming for full electrification in Europe
Other manufacturers have also already mentioned Peugeot’s exit target. Ford, for example, wants to bring only all-electric vehicles onto the market in Europe from 2030. General Motors is planning to convert its production entirely to electric cars by 2030, and Volkswagen states that it will get out of business with combustion vehicles in Europe “between 2033 and 2035”. Audi also wants to gradually phase out the production of combustion vehicles by 2033. Jaguar is committed to offering every range with an all-electric motor by 2030. The company aims to become an all-electric luxury car manufacturer by 2025.
Other leading automakers, such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, have not yet announced a specific exit date, although the companies also have electric cars in their fleets. Toyota announced last week that it would only sell CO2-free cars in Western Europe by 2035, BMW board member Pieter Nota expects that “in 2030 at least every second vehicle sold by the BMW Group will be fully electric” and that Mercedes-Benz will also strive plans to electrify its entire portfolio by next year. By 2025, sales of electric vehicles are expected to increase to 15 to 25 percent of total sales.
Sources:Automotive News Europe, Springer Professional, Toyota press release, BMW press release, with material from dpa