After on-again and off-again attempts at an Eurasian marriage (which I would unreservedly endorse,) Mitsubishi and PSA are doing the thing currently en vogue in Europe: Live happily in sin, and produce little ones. Very little ones.
Mitsubishi Motors and PSA Peugeot Citroen Group are chatting about small cars produced by Mitsubishi for the unmarried couple, says The Nikkei [sub]. Details should be hashed-out by the end of the year.
The cars would be 1.0-1.3 liter midgetmobiles, which Mitsubishi wants to unleash onto rapidly emerging markets. Mitsu will start making them in Thailand this year, then the idea is to expand mass production to the usual suspects: China, India and Brazil. Annual production target 400,000 to 500,000 units. Mitsubishi wants to keep the price below $10,000.
Of course, they are eyeing the Japanese and European market as well, and this is where PSA comes in. PSA would sell the motorized rug rats under the Peugeot and Citroen brands in Europe and elsewhere.
This deal expands on existing cohabitations with electric cars and SUVs
This is much different to the two bastard micro cars PSA already makes and sells with its tie up with Toyota? The C1 and Peugeot 107?
No idea. If price is an indication: The 107 currently sells in Germany for around €10K, so figuring in 19% tax and the anemic Euro, that would be around $10K
But to move those cars in India or China, $5000 would be more like it.
Those “bastard cars” as you put it, are actually very good cars. They were designed with cheapness in mind. If Toyota or PSA wanted to, they could take those cars, built them IN the emerging markets (India would be a good place) and easily sell them for sub $10k.
And remember, the current specifcation of the Aygo/107/C1 meets EuroNCAP to 5 stars. Which means, these cars would extremely safe, extremely cheap to run and very fuel efficient.
Hello Cammy!
Well, it depends on what part of the developing world. In Brazil they sold the 107 back a while (I think it was a 106 back then???), but lack of size, not to mention price above Fiat’s Uno Mille (bigger car) and others didn’t allow them to prosper.
How is the market in China for $10K midgetmobiles? Is that what the Chinese buyers are really looking for, and PSA-Mitsubishi have discovered an underserved market segment? Or … ?
There is a market in China for midgetmobiles. But the QQ sets the tone and the price. Must be below $5000 . For $10,000, they get a real car.
Right. And I suspect not so many people in India would be keen on a tiny car in that price range, either.
So that leaves the European market for PSA — and leaves Mitsubishi high and dry once again.