"Korea Sincerity"... Stellantis Dreams of Takeoff Leading with 'Affordable Lamborghini'

Peugeot Brand Day Held
CEO and Head of Design Attend
408 Unveiled in Asia-Pacific for First Time, Showing Commitment to Korea
Actively Utilizing Peugeot to Reduce Dependence on Jeep

Stellantis, struggling in the Korean market, dreams of a ‘takeoff.’ The plan is to fly with Jeep as one wing and add a new wing called Peugeot to fly with both wings.

Stellantis Korea held Peugeot Brand Day on the morning of the 24th to announce its business plans for the Korean market. Linda Jackson, CEO of the Peugeot brand, and Matthias Hossann, Peugeot Design Director, attended the event.

This is the Inception concept car unveiled at the 'Peugeot Brand Day Event' held in Gangnam, Seoul on the 24th. (From left) Jake Auman, President of Stellantis Korea; Linda Jackson, CEO of the Peugeot brand; and Mathias Hossann, Chief Design Director of Peugeot, are posing.
[Photo by Oh Gyumin]

Peugeot plans to strengthen its position in the Korean market centered on the 408 model, which was officially launched two days earlier. This vehicle has received significant attention for its design, being called the ‘affordable Lamborghini.’ They also announced plans to expand showrooms and service centers to 18 locations by 2025.

They revealed an electrification plan called the ‘E-Lion Project.’ First, by 2025, they will launch electric vehicle models across all lineups. They will build a product and service ecosystem based on the electrification platform STLA and produce efficient vehicles that deliver the best performance with minimal power consumption. Peugeot’s plan is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2038.

The 'Affordable Lamborghini' Peugeot 408 officially launched domestically on the 23rd [Photo by Oh Gyumin]

Stellantis Korea’s move reflects the importance of the Korean market. The company introduced the 408 first in Korea among the Asia-Pacific region. Linda Jackson explained that Korean consumers have the characteristic of purchasing without hesitation if the product is good. She said, “Korea leads trends in various industries,” and added, “Peugeot is striving for globalization beyond Europe, and Korea is a strategic growth market.” She further stated, “We will innovate the brand and build a new image through the launch of the 408.”

The Inception concept car unveiled at the 'Peugeot Brand Day' held in Gangnam, Seoul on the 24th.
[Photo by Oh Gyumin]

The company was Fiat Chrysler (FCA) Korea until 2020. Fiat and Chrysler withdrew in 2018, and for two years, only Jeep’s domestic business was handled.

The situation changed last year. In 2021, Fiat Chrysler Group merged with Peugeot Citro?n Group (PSA) to become Stellantis. Since January last year, Stellantis Korea has been responsible not only for Jeep but also for the domestic business of Peugeot and DS (Citro?n’s premium brand).

This can also be interpreted as a will to reduce dependence on Jeep and actively utilize Peugeot. According to data from the Korea Imported Automobile Association, Stellantis Korea (Jeep, Peugeot, DS) sold a total of 9,219 units last year. Among them, Jeep accounted for 7,166 units, or 77%. Jeep sales this year (January to April) were 1,324 units, down from 2,045 units in the same period last year. Peugeot also recorded 1,965 units last year, down from 2,320 units in 2021.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.