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French solutions for tomorrow’s cars at IAA

A car is displayed on a wall on Saturday during preparations for the IAA motor show in Frankfurt, Germany. The world`s biggest car show will open on Thursday. PHOTO: REUTERS

French auto makers PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault will present their solutions for tomorrow’s cars — electric or hybrid — at the Frankfurt Motor Show which opens on Thursday as both are being hit hard by the economic crisis.

Renault which has firmly set its eyes on the electric car is to introduce four electric prototypes in Frankfurt that will cover the range from small urban to commercial vehicles.

Renault chief Carlos Ghosn has made Zero Emissions the group’s top strategy in the ongoing battle against carbon dioxide emissions, along with partner Nissan.

The maker with the lozenge shaped logo believes that by 2020 electric cars will make up more than 10 percent of the market and hopes to present its electric cars by 2011 and be ready for the market the following year.

Rival PSA Peugeot Citroen equally aims to impress the general public with its environment-friendly cars after new company head Philippe Varin, who took over in June, made them one of his priorities.

Peugeot will present two diesel hybrid prototypes based on its 3008 crossover and RCZ coupe. But in Frankfurt it will also display the iOn, its future electric car which was developed in cooperation with Mitsubishi Motors to be launched at the end of next year.

PSA thus aims to offer a wide range of environment-friendly solutions that include diesel hybrids in 2011 and Peugeot and Citroen electric cars next year.

“Electric cars have a positive image,” said Bertrand Rakoto, RL Polk car analyst.

But he cautioned that their distribution would be rather limited in the next five years.

Last year, practically no electric cars were registered in France and hybrids had a share of just 0.4 percent of new cars sold.

In Frankfurt, Renault hopes that its ambition to offer a full line-up of electric cars will translate into a new love affair with the public after its sales plunged 24 percent and net losses totalled 2.7 billion euros (US$3.9 billion) in the first half-year.

PSA on the other hand was in the red last year and again reported a net loss of 962 million euros in the first half of this year.

But the group continues to renew and develop its product line-up, with Peugeot about to market its new compact 5008 people carrier and RCZ sports coupe.

The Frankfurt Motor Show, known as the IAA and which runs from Thursday to Sept. 27, aims to make consumers forget the auto sector crisis with a wave of new models, in particular electric ones.

“The IAA 2009 is being held in the right place at the right time,” said Matthias Wissmann, president of the VDA auto federation that organizes the show.

He added that the worst of the crisis had passed and the fair would celebrate with a “fireworks show of innovations.”

The 63rd edition of the IAA, which takes place every two years in alternation with a show in Paris, is a slimmed-down version of the precedent one however, with the number of exhibitors down by 30 percent to 750 and several Asian brands deciding not to come.

Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and Daihatsu are staying home, while recovering US group GM will not display its Chevrolet brand but be present with the German unit Opel.

GM has just agreed again to sell a majority stake in Opel to the Canadian auto parts group Magna and its Russian partner Sberbank, having apparently come to terms after an initial deal announced in May hit bumps.

The total surface of this year’s show has been reduced by 15 percent and the number of visitors expected by 20 percent to 750,000.

“This IAA is taking place under a sign of crisis,” said Frank Schwope, auto analyst at NordLB bank.

LBBW counterpart Stefan Sigrist added: “I expect more modesty and fewer pompous events.”
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