Could the third time be the charm for Peugeot? The French brand is set to change distributorship once again this 2022 as Spanish-based Astara will take over from current distributor Columbian Autocar Corporation.
While the announcement is set to be formalized soon, the information is now visible on Astara’s official website. Aside from the Philippines Astara operates in 14 countries in Europe and Latin America—Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. Aside from the Philippines (their only presence in Southeast Asia), they will also add Austria to its growing roster of countries.
Astara (formerly known as Bergé Automoción) distributes 29 car brands. Aside from Peugeot, they also distribute Kia, Nissan, and Subaru as well as other brands under the Stellantis group such as Fiat, Jeep, and Dodge. They directly employ about 2,500 people and sell around 200,000 vehicles per year all in all.
Astara will employ a local team to handle the day-to-day operations of Peugeot.
The first model set to be introduced by the new distributor will be the refreshed Peugeot 5008 (see top photo). Currently, the 5008 is being sourced in Malaysia, where Peugeot parent company, Stellantis operates an assembly plant. This arrangement is likely to continue even under the new distributor.
The Jose Alvarez-backed Columbian Autocar Corporation took over the distributorship of the Peugeot brand from the Richard Lee-owned Universal Motors Corporation in 2012.
The French car brand currently has five dealerships.
The Biggest problem of Peugeot vehicles are pricing. too expensive for some. It's nowhere near the Japanese price lists and most of their vehicles specs are downgraded. These are what the new management should eradicate. Further more No exciting products had been launch a few years ago.
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