Peugeot PHL roars forward with a new distributor
A new lineup and new dealerships are in the pipeline
HAVE YOU HEARD?
French automotive badge Peugeot will now be further enriched by Astara (formerly known as Berge Auto) — its new, official distributor in the Philippines. Astara, in case you didn’t know, is a huge, progressive-thinking automotive distribution and mobility services group that was founded way back in 1979. It now already has an established presence in European and Latin American countries, such as in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Colombia. And interestingly, the Philippines, being an important market to Peugeot, is one of the starting points of Astara in its expansion project into Asia.
This major takeover of the distributorship highlights the new partnership between Astara and Stellantis — now the fourth largest automaker in the world (which came about when the PS Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles decided to merge their 14 diverse brands), which also happens to house the Peugeot brand.
Stellantis Senior Vice-President for ASEAN and General Distributors Christophe Musy explains his vision that “Astara will bring its strong expertise in strategy implementation and a wealth of cross-market experience to realize the potential of Peugeot in the Philippines.”
Meanwhile, Peugeot Philippines Brand Head Maricar Parco shares that “Having just celebrated our 10th anniversary in the Philippines, we are energized to continue building our momentum in the country through our great vehicles and after-sales service offerings with Astara as our partner.”
During the same press conference, Peugeot Philippines, in partnership with Astara, also officially launched its new 5008 SUV — a premium, seven-seater SUV that is especially equipped with more sophisticated advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and a new-generation i-Cockpit that offers a modern and more immersive driving experience.
Powering the new Peugeot 5008 SUV is a 1.6-liter scroll turbo high pressure (THP) engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It manages to spit out 165hp and 240Nm maximum torque. With it, the vehicle advertises a delightful balance between engine performance and fuel efficiency.
The supply of our country’s new 5008 SUVs will be assembled at the Stellantis manufacturing plant located in Gurun, Malaysia. As of the moment, their executives say that the brand has no plans of sourcing their vehicles from China, where another Stellantis factory is. Having said that, the Malaysian plant works well for them as they get to test all the vehicles built in that plant against the unique and challenging driving and road conditions of Southeast Asia. As a matter of fact, the new 5008 was already put to the test by having it endure about 300,000 combined kilometers of driving within the local Southeast Asian climate and landscape.
The new Peugeot 5008 SUV will be sold for P2.26 million in the country; and is already available for viewing or purchase in all of the Lion brand’s showrooms in the country.
At the end of the day, it’s an exciting time for Peugeot Philippines as Astara is primed to help it blast through its new digital transformation — in all aspects, mind you. Such transformation should locally start becoming more evident around the second quarter of 2022. Alongside that, Peugeot Philippines also plans to expand its reach further and open seven more dealerships in the country, bringing its near-future total to 11 shops nationwide.
Peugeot Philippines Managing Director Raoul Picello points out, “Our investment will help infuse a renewed sense of vigor for Peugeot Philippines and its patrons… creating a more purposeful brand that resonates to the Philippine market.” He also added that he hopes, “as we move forward and grow together, these exciting changes can help us meet the ever-changing needs of Filipinos.”
That’s a lot of things to look forward to as the Year of the Tiger roars in!
