Peugeot Boss Says SUV Boom Will Deflate Sooner Than Expected

The increased demand in crossovers and SUVs worldwide hasn’t convinced Peugeot CEO Maxime Picat, who is trying to answer a different question: “what is the next frontier?“

Even if the French manufacturer will launch new vehicles to meet demand, like the new 3008 and 5008, over the next 12 months, Picat thinks more customers are looking for an alternative car, according to Autocar.

“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“, Picat said, without proving an answer to that question “today“.

The Peugeot CEO sees fewer opportunities when it comes to different versions of SUVs, referring to coupes and convertibles, which won’t sell “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“, he added.

Last year, crossovers and SUVs accounted for 35 percent of all car sales in the United States and 23 percent in Europe. Analysts believe that sales in these segments could rise close to 50 percent globally, by the end of the decade.

Note: 2017 Peugeot 3008 prototype pictured