MANILA, Philippines - A delegation of Filipino businessmen led by the Philippines’ Secretary of Finance Cesar Purisima recently visited the Peugeot head office in Grand Armee, Paris, France. The Philippine Trade & Investments Promotion Mission was in France in an effort to promote the Philippines in terms of trade investment opportunities. The Filipino delegation was welcomed by PSA Peugeot Citroen’s CEO for Asian Operations, Gregoire Olivier. The highlight of the Philippine business delegation’s visit was the private unveiling of the new Peugeot 308, a day ahead of its public launch in France – led by both Secretary Purisima and Mr. Olivier.
In his welcome remarks, Olivier noted the growth of Peugeot in Asia, particularly in the Philippines where its local partner, Eurobrands Distributor, Inc., (EDI) has successfully launched six new dealerships since introducing the brand in January. Already, plans are afoot to open at least four more dealerships before the end of the year. For his part, Secretary Purisima intimated the possibility of even bigger opportunities for Peugeot in the Philippines, making particular mention of EDI’s assembly capabilities.
With four Peugeot models already made available in the country (3008, 5008, 508 and RCZ), the Filipino public has welcomed the French brand with open arms, as Peugeot has taken a significant chunk of its market segment in less than a year of operations. In the months to come, the Peugeot 308 along with the Peugeot Expert Teepee, the Peugeot 208 GTi and the Peugeot 2008 will find its way to Philippine shores.