Special Features

We have an exciting special feature coming up as we bring you snippets from the recent Paris Motor Show and the new Peugeot models not yet seen on Philippine roads. As a bonus, we have some spectacular shots of Paris, Switzerland and Italy as we drove over to those neighboring countries. Don't miss this special.

It was a pleasure to be among only five Philippine journalists, one of 24 members of the international press invited by Peugeot to the 2016 Paris Motor Show last Oct. International motor shows are always something to look forward to because these shows are where all the vehicle manufacturers bring out to the public their latest models and showcase their ever evolving automotive technology.

Peugeot, with its long history of automotive technology remains one of the world's automotive leaders, and this recent Paris Motor Show validates that.

This is one of the major parts of this trip where we feasted our eyes on the latest Peugeot models yet to be introduced to the market. We are fortunate to have our gracious hosts from Peugeot on hand to tell us about the major leaps in design and technology that the company has undertaken to bring us their new offerings.

Mr. Glen Dasig, president of Peugeot Philippines is here with me at the Peugeot display in the Paris Motor Show to tell you what to expect from their model line-up.

With over 3,600 square meters of floor space dedicated to the latest models of the participating car manufacturers, one can only imagine that this is a motoring enthusiast's dream playground because the best of the best of 2017 are here. The leap in technology is also nothing short of amazing at this motorshow, so join me as I feast my eyes on 2017's automotive offerings.

Motion and Emotion. The name captures the theme for this 2016 motor show. At the Huge Peugeot booth, we saw this black 3008 GT SUV, as well as this blue 3008 SUV.

We met some of the men and women behind the world-renowned Peugeot technology, among them, Jerome Micheron of Brand Strategy and Experience.

JEROME MICHERON
Head of Brand Strategy & Product Planning

"We want to be sure to launch the right products at the right market."

GILLES VIDAL
Director of Design - Peugeot chez
PSA Peugeot Citroen

" The driving, the handling, for some people who don't care so much about automotive, purity of sports driving. It will be precise, clean, very economical. But for true car enthusiasts, it could be an amazing driving machine."

"Well, I think it's the striking design but I think all customers in the world could do a profile exterior design on account. So we have our own in the spirit of our brand and to me, the most striking point of this car is the interior. After all, that's where people stand in life, inside the car, on a daily basis. And for me, the economics, of sensations that you get and also, the safety that you get - that sets this car apart from the competition. And that together is an amazing road handling that's very true to the Peugeot history. That will make a big, big difference with the competition. You own an SUV, you have all the practicality and the looks of an SUV but it handles almost like a sedan, a very dynamic sedan, that's quite amazing for the segment."

"Well very soon, you will get this car and it will be available in your country so do get the chance to see it, look at it. But most importantly, step in the car, drive for a few kilometers and you will see the difference, you will feel the difference in your experience in driving and that will be, I'm sure, amazing for you."

Let's now check out the interiors of this SUV as Peugeot's Ms. Marion David, Product… a lady engineer deeply involved in design and technology explained the key assets of the vehicle.

MARION DAVID
Product Executive
PSA Peugeot Citroen

Here, you see the digital cluster. You can customize it. Let's say you want to go to a restaurant, you don't know where to go. So, you're in navigation mode. You put the navigation mode. If you are on the highway and you want to have the driving assistance in the system, then you have the driving assistance here on the screen, so you can manage the adaptive responses of the lane keeping assist. So all the driving assistance. Let's say, you just want to have normal dials, so you just have normal dials. Or even if, you're driving in the dark, you're tired, you don't want too much light, so let's have the minimal with the speed, and that's all. Here, you have the steering wheel, it's reduce in widths and also in heights..."

These toggle switches can change the functions and ambience of the including temperature control and even the scent inside the vehicle. They commissioned different fragrance providers to provide a range of relaxing or energizing scents.

MARION DAVID
Product Executive
PSA Peugeot Citroen

"So, this is an automatic transmission called E-86. You may already known on 308. We redesigned gear shift level which is electronic so you don't have any cable so it will continue, it's much more economic. And you can change, if you want to be in the manual mode."

Now let's move over to the new 7-seater large 5008 SUV.

MARION DAVID
Product Executive
PSA Peugeot Citroen

"We have the same spectacular i-Cockpit in this new 5008 that we have from the 3008. But here, it's completely different and the front identity also. So here, as you can see, we have a huge space for passengers, with three separate seats which are of the same size. So, the same comfort of three passengers and in the booths, we also have two seats, maybe that I can show you here, right now."

In the Philippines, we have the Expert as Peugeot's entry level into the mass market people mover segment. They are now replacing this with their new model, the Traveller which is geared towards the premium market. In Europe, this segment is currently served by Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen, but Peugeot is now entering this market with the Traveller which has elegant captain seats , new rear lights, bigger space and power doors. It can seat from 6 to nine people.

GLEN DASIG
President
Peugeot Philippines

"As you can see the floating grill, the 3D design of the grill and with the Peugeot lion at the middle of the grill. It's a big statement that they want to make the Peugeot brand the fore brand of everything that they do. The design language of the headlights. So we're finalizing our strategies for the Traveller and it will be coming out of the Philippines."

YANN BEUREL
Head of Peugeot Design
Teams chez
PSA Peugeot Citroen

"So, we worked hard to provide the large storage area in this car because we know that it's very important for our customers."

The design experts of Peugeot included highly technical men and women who design helicopters and mass transportation systems and have put their extensive knowledge and expertise into the new Peugeot models.

The Traveller is one of Peugeot's image setters that will be introduced in the Philippines in the second quarter of 2017.

PHILIPPE BARRIAC
Senior Product Manager
Electric Strategy & Urban Mobility

"The Traveller is a completely new vehicle based on a new platform. It match the entry of Peugeot in the shuttle premium market and covering from the simple airport shuttle up to the business-VIP shuttle. So this is really a big challenge for Peugeot brand because to be packed with this highly qualified market, we have to respect all the premium cabs like leather seat, with face to face configuration, with independent air conditioning or like automatic hands-free sliding door for example. Traveller is based on a completely new model platform. It allows us to offer swift, different length of the vehicle - with complete original length, compact version from 4 meter 60. This is one of the benefits of the new platform - the capacity to offer some original length, an original offer. The other benefit is the height of the vehicle, 1 meter 90, which allows to go, to drive into the underground parking, for example. The main benefits of this new platform is the weight of the vehicle and as consequence, the conception of this vehicle is around 1 liter less than all the other competitors."

The standard Traveller packs 180 horse power and has an automatic gear box. It consumes 8.5 liters per kilometre as evaluated by an independent organization, GNE.

Many will recall that several decades ago, Peugeot was once in the Philippines but unfortunately, the brand was not handled well here and the company pulled out of the Philippines. With the return of Peugeot to the Philippines market, this internationally known brand is now breaking through this highly competitive market.

We learned that Peugeot has its own motorsports division, and with their strong design and advanced technology, the company wants to position itself in the upper market because, in their own words, theirs is not a cheap brand.

While everyone else has gone into the SUV market they waited for the right time, and it was the perfect time.

JEROME MICHERON
Head of Brand Strategy
& Product Planning

"I think we made some first attempts when we launched the first generation of __. It was a crossover, not an SUV. It was a mix between a traditional hatchback but what we did in the first generation was an amazing i-Cockpit. There was a stuck in this kind of crossover. Then we made a move with 2008 which is a mini SUV, that was launched in 2013 and was a huge success in Europe. We will be launching the car in China. We will also launch the car in America and we are going to launch this mini SUV in Iran."

One of the highlights of this international media trip was our lunch with Peugeot CEO Jean Philippe Imparato during a cruise of the Seine River. It was a double treat as we took in the magnificent scenery and the Paris monuments.

The group enjoyed the immersion into French culture, their world-class cuisine; and those relaxing afternoons watching the world go by while sipping coffee at the roadside cafes.

Then, it was time for another adventure.

The museum clearly shows the evolving design and durability of the Peugeot vehicles. After the Peugeot museum and the Peugeot factory, we will be off to an exciting 5-day road trip on board our Peugeots.

And here we are, ready for our 5-day test drive that will have us crossing over to Switzerland, then on to Chamonix and Bologna, Italy for the last leg of the road trip.

These are the vehicles that our group of five will drive, a beautiful line-up from the Peugeot 2008 GT, the Peugeot 308, the 308 GTI, the 508 GTI Line, and the Traveller Business Standard. Join us.

Like all good things, this 8-day brand immersion trip had to come to an end. After an amazing 8 days in Paris, Switzerland and Italy, and after seeing first hand the latest models of Peugeot which will be brought to the Philippines, it was time to say adieu to our hosts at Peugeot. We wish to thank our gracious French hosts led by Peugeot CEO Mr. Jean Philippe Imparato and the brilliant technical experts of the company, and our Philippine host, Glen Dasig, president of Peugeot Philippines.