Peugeot coming back to US market at the low end?
On the way into the office in Livonia, MI this morning I spotted a Peugeot 107 with a manufacturer plate. I managed to snap a few photos before the driver went off in a different direction. The 107 is the new B-Class model that Peugeot is selling in Europe. The car is just over eleven feet long and comes with a 1.0L three cylinder gas engine or a 1.4L four cylinder diesel. It's available as a two door or four door hatchback and would be great car for getting around crowded cities. Unlike most strange looking recent Renaults, this one has a classy attractive look wrapped around a very efficient package. Unfortunately, it's more likely that this particular unit is just a test unit for some supplier, which is pretty common around this area. There are are few more pics after the jump.
Update: The mystery builds as today I saw two more of the diminutive Peugeots along the blue one shown in the photos. Since they were all in close proximity to each other and on the same road as yesterday, that would be indicative of a durability fleet. The question is who is conducting the test and why?
There's a big glass rear hatch for easy access to the cargo area.
One shot in the rear view mirror showing the front of the car.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rebel 3:53PM (3/28/2008)
I rented a Peugeot 107 in England last week & LOVED it! Got between 60-70 mpg & very zippy. Trunk was tiny, but had back seats... Hope they are available soon in the U.S.
Reply
TommyNYC 2:05PM (6/04/2008)
I saw a 407SW in Manhattan on Sunday. I am used to seeing them in Japan, so at first I was like, oh, a Peugeot. Then I realized I was in NYC and was ike, Hey, what's going on here? It had New Jersey manufacturer plates. Would sure like to buy one if I could.
Reply
Eric 2:04PM (7/08/2009)
Yesterday (7/7) saw a television commercial being filmed in Altadena, CA. The star?, a three door Peugeot 207 in metallic charcoal. I've been sniffing around but haven't found any confirmation of launch plans or dealer network. I wonder if they're planning a big splash (can you say Super Bowl) to re-introduce the brand to the US market. BTW, the supporting cast for the 207 were a blue Pontiac Bonneville, a blue convertible GTO, and a lovely brown Gran Torino wagon. Guess they are going with an economical-to-drive message, as the 207 claims combined mileage in excess of 42 mpg. On a note of personal opinion, the darl color did wonders to hide the Peugeot's hideous, gaping grill opening.
Reply
Jaime 8:15PM (10/10/2006)
Since the Peugeot107/Citroen C1 (PSA Group) were developed and manufactured together under the same roof along with the Toyota Aygo in the Czech Republic (same car, different cosmetics), maybe now that you guys informed this particular model may make it to the US, Toyota brought it with french appearance to confuse the paparazzi…
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/20/toyota-aygo-may-make-it-to-u-s/
Reply
Tedd 10:29PM (1/03/2007)
Two years ago I corresponded with a Gentleman who did fleet testing of Peugeots in New Jersey. At the time he was driving a 406 sedan. He said that Peugeot had a fleet of Peugeot models that the company would bring to the US every year to perform road test. He however did not know if Peugeot had any long term plans to re-enter the US market. Your photos could be part of the already occuring tests that are regularly conducted every year in New Jersey (Peugeot never closed their US headquarters which was based in New Jersey).
I also spoke to a Peugeot engineer last year while I was in France. He said that Peugeot has a a program called Project X which was set up to determine all aspects in returning to the US Market and the plan, at the time, was to return by 2010.
Reply
guidom 5:54AM (1/18/2007)
Everything you need to know about the Peugeot 107
In Europe this car together with the Toyota Aygo and the Citroën C1 is a great succes, you see them everywhere.
I started a blog have a look.
http://my107.blogspot.com
Reply
REFZ 5:39PM (1/19/2007)
I'm from Holland and I own a Peugeot 107 XS since september 2006. I call my The CityBug and I really love it.
I have a website and a weblog about this little car.
On my website you can find a lot of information about the Peugeot 107 and on my weblog you can find lots of information about the Peugeot 107, the Citroën C1 and the Toyota Aygo.
The CityBug Website
The CityBug Blog
Reply
REFZ 5:44PM (1/19/2007)
Oeps sorry, I forgot the links.
The CityBug Website
Link: http://www.107xs.nl
The CityBug Blog™
Link 1: http://www.thecitybugblog.tk
Link 2: http://107xs.blogspot.com
Reply
Mark 4:36PM (3/09/2007)
While traveling on 275 yesterday, I saw a black Peugeot 107 on the freeway. The driver seemed quite happy to have me notice his car! So I was wondering the same thing. I went to www.peugeot.com and checked their website. They have some disclaimer that none of their automobiles are made to US safety standards and if you attempt to ship one to the US, it will be refused at customs. So that makes me wonder how this guy got his and is driving it in the US?
Thanks,
Mark
Reply
Serb 6:04PM (4/25/2007)
I live and go to school in US. I always wanted to drive P 206 or 307 cc, although you cant find them anywhere here. I was thiking why is there no French cars in US, but the clear answer is that they cant compete with all the Japanese and Korean companies. And even though peugeot is proven to be a better car than most of the japanese cars, it will still take years in order for them to sell anything in US market. The other known fact is that US and French are not in good terms, so I know for a fact that US will never push French cars.
P.S. I decided to go back to europe and get myslef a peugeot, but its a real shae that they dont have it here.
Reply
Wally Webster 9:05PM (5/28/2007)
Want to see how much we love our Pugs down under? Check out http://206gti.net
Reply
Steve 7:19PM (12/09/2007)
Ah, about a week ago, December 1 or so I saw two 107's(blue and black) on 8 mile just west of Northville, both had manufacturer plates. I snapped a picture with my cell phone but have not moved it to my computer yet.
I figure it was some manufacturer or supplier doing some kind testing.
About 6 months ago an Audi R8 was parked on the street a block from my house so an Audi engineer or exec. must live there, not sure if I would have parked it on the street if I had it for the night though.
Reply
C. T. L. 12:01PM (1/20/2008)
This past week I also saw two Peugeot 107s (one black and one blue)driving down Michigan Ave off 275 in Canton. I couldn't believe it as I was in Paris, France 2 yrs ago for my honeymoon and loved seeing these all over town. I checked to see if they would be coming back to the states anytime soon, but found they didn't meet the US safety specs and emission standards (?). They zipped right past me without a care. Obvisouly, there's some testing going on around here. Love to see the bigger sedans come around as well. C.
Reply