Definitely true. Peugeot isn't viewed by anyone there are being
prestigious, which is why the 605 was a flop.
> I finally got around to reading the review of the 406 in CAR (recent issue)
> where they, and owners, say it's as good or better than a BMW
This is exactly the same thing every Peugeot dealer told me. People buy
cars like the 406, 306 and 106 because they are THE BEST in their class,
bar none. It has nothing to with French appeal, it's mainly that their
cars, since the introduction of the 405, have been at the top of their
class and are seen as top quality products. This is very different from
the way Pugs were ever percieved in North America.
Models like the 106 GTi, 306 GTi-6 and 306 Cabriolet that really are
seen as superb machines, provide the image boost that Peugeot gets. In
one of the August issues of Autocar, they had a comparison of about 10
"hot hatches" including the 106 + 306 Gti's. The 106GTi was voted #1
and the 306 GTi #2. If you're a totally neutral shopper and you're
looking for a car, you'll go out and buy a Peugeot. It's kind of the
same for Honda in the US. They don't have much image but the magazines
kept saying they were the best and people went out and bought them.
It's the same with the Peugeot diesels. If every magazine in the
country says that the Peugeot units are the best, what will the average
shopper do? Peugeot never really got those kind of ringing endorsements
in North America.
> yet those who don't yet know the
> cars still shy away from these French things in favor of the German prestige
> factor.
Well, many German cars don't have much prestige in England, certainly
not Audi, VW or the BMW 3-series. The 3-series are really taking a
beating in terms of reputation lately as they're bought up by herds of
company car drivers. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that two of the
LAST cars I'd want to own in Britain are the Audi A4 and the BMW
3-series; they have about as much prestige there as Honda Accords do
here.
However, I'd buy either the Audi or BMW in North America in a second.