PSA Makes Tenuous Return to U.S. After 26-Year Absence

You can’t buy a Peugeot or Citroen in the U.S. But you might soon be able to drive one.

PSA, the parent of those two French brands, has launched a new car-sharing service in Los Angeles, called Free2Move, that it’s billing as its “first step” for what may soon become a return to the American market.

PSA was one of a number of European brands that left the U.S. in the 1990s, and the company has openly regretted that decision ever since, frequently suggesting it would make a return.

Now, the groundwork is being laid with the Free2Move project, which started up this week at LAX, Tinseltown’s crowded airport.

Longer-term, said PSA Group in a statement, the goal is “to develop mobility solutions with PSA Group’s cars, before marketing vehicles directly in North America.” No timetable for the next phase of the project has been released.

PSA is by no means the only automaker looking for opportunities in alternative “mobility services.” In fact, Ford CEO Mark Fields has declared his company a “mobility service provider,” rather than an automotive manufacturer. General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, Daimler and a host of other major carmakers have teamed up with car- and ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft, Gett and ZipCar, or launched services of their own.

PSA first announced plans last month to partner with Free2Move Lease, the fourth-largest leaser in France, as a way to build B2B demand for its Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands.

The new venture focuses on car-sharing, and will allow owners flying through LAX to essentially put their vehicles to work. Visitors to the Los Angeles area will be able to rent those vehicles at a Free2Move lot at what the service promises will be about rates about “50% less expensive than with a traditional car rental offer.”

The move is apparently meant to establish a base of operations and would not focus on PSA vehicles. But it appears that the French carmaker might eventually use the Free2Move service to give travelers an opportunity to try them out. Daimler AG has used a similar strategy to build interest in the Smart brand by offering the Fortwo model through Car2Go outlets across the U.S.

Read more of the original article at The Detroit Bureau.

The post PSA Makes Tenuous Return to U.S. After 26-Year Absence appeared first on Fleet Management Weekly.

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