Currently reading: Peugeot boss: SUV boom has limits

Crossovers may be a huge current trend in the automotive industry, but Peugeot boss Maxime Picat isn't convinced it'll last

The boom in SUV sales may not be as sustained or long-lived as many industry commentators are predicting, according to Peugeot CEO Maxime Picat.

While Picat accepts that the current SUV boom will continue for the foreseeable future and admits he is planning for Peugeot to launch cars to meet demand, likely including a new Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008 over the next 12 months, he believes that there is already a growing niche of customers looking for an alternative type of vehicle.

“Already we are asking what is the next frontier after SUVs?” he said. “We are trying to work on that question, and we have some interesting ideas that we can implement while the SUV boom is strong. We see a significant number of customers who know they don’t want an SUV but who also see saloons and hatches as boring - they want something else, something more beautiful. I am not going to give you the answer today, but it is an area we are exploring with some energy.”

Picat suggested that the explosion of interest in SUVs is already putting pressure on car makers because “SUVs are inherently less efficient”, which is an issue that will only get worse as sales increase. He also suggested there were fewer opportunities to expand SUV line-ups beyond the core models.

“There are limits of bodystyle,” he said. “I can’t see coupé and convertible versions selling in the way they do on saloons. That is why we think the SUV boom will change faster than that of the booms we have seen in the past; the potential for diversification of silhouettes is not as big. It doesn’t feel like it today, as we all rush to meet demand, but the SUV era may not be a long one.”

SUVs and crossovers accounted for around 23% of all European car sales in 2015, but closer to 35% of all US sales. Analysts predict that by 2020 the global mix of SUV and crossover sales could rise to close to 50% of all car sales in the world.

 

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S2bear 19 April 2016

a broken clock is right twice a day

"I am not going to give you the answer today, ....” wish I'd thought of that one at school / in interviews.
Ski Kid 18 April 2016

suv will take over 50%of the market

There will be suv growth for some time ,the hatchback will decline further as more economicaly priced suv's are introduced inc small range Rover ,Discovery Sport minin version and E Pace.
Deputy 18 April 2016

Peugeot = no SUV

So the boss of a car company with no SUV in the range (3008/5008 don't really count) says SUV have a limited future. Bit like the old boss at Blackberry saying smartphones wouldn't catch on without a real keyboard.....
manicm 18 April 2016

Deputy wrote: So the boss of

Deputy wrote:

So the boss of a car company with no SUV in the range (3008/5008 don't really count) says SUV have a limited future. Bit like the old boss at Blackberry saying smartphones wouldn't catch on without a real keyboard.....

Haha, you hit the nail on the head.