Drive Wire for September 12, 2016: Peugeot Plans to Launch Direct Competitor to Uber
The beleaguered manufacturer believes a proprietary rideshare service can help turn the brand around.
Two years ago, Peugeot was in a near-death situation, facing bankruptcy. Along came the French government and China's Dongfeng Motor Group with a bailout check for $3 billion, and Peugeot has slowly been trying to get back on track. One of the new pillars in the company's growth strategy is mobility, and under that grouping, Peugeot now wants to launch a proprietary car-hailing app, to rival mainstays including Uber, Lyft and Gett.
This move, in direct opposition to many other manufacturers like General Motors who are backing and investing in rideshare titans, is a necessary one, according to Peugeot's boss Carlos Tavares. Tavares believes backing the likes of Uber would be "dangerous" as it removes the contact between the consumers who use the services and the manufacturers of the cars they ride in. For more information, check out the video above.
