Last I read, they were still independent, but both companies had bought significant shares (like 20%) of each other’s stock. This is the main reason why Nissan has a European CEO, Carlos Ghosn.
Actually, Renault owns more than 40% of Nissan, and Nissan 15% of Renault. And if I’m not mistaken, Ghosn is the CEO of both companies. I also believe he’s south-american, not european.
I own a Peugeot 307 and I really love it. It is more fuel efficient, sleeker and handles better than any American or Japanese car I have ever owned. It is 4 years old now and has never needed any major repairs.
It is true that Peugeot had a bad reputation for a while (even in Europe where I am living), but it has greatly improved in the last 7 years or so and now regularly places highly in total sales and awards in the European market. I must say I also wondered why French cars aren’t available in the US.
By the way, over here Ford is considered a German car…
And the design of Nissans is certainly growing more French.
French cars seem to have some ideosycracies that make them more interesting 9to me) than german or Sweidsh cars. first: the suspensions seem to have a lot of wheel travel-which makes them good on bumpy roads. Second, the french seem to use very small engines (possibly because of engine displacement-determined excise taxes)? This makes them pretty fuel-stingy. The seats on french cars are very comfortable-much better than on German cars 9which are too hard, in my opinion). Now, i don’t know about reliability. Certainly, some of the renaults that were sold in the USA were not too good. But i would be interested in a high-mileage turbo diesel car, which Peugeot seems to do well in. As for Citroen: have they abandoned the hydropneumatic suspension that they were famous for? i’m told that system is one of the best in the world.
I actually thought of that car when I saw the thread title, it was sold in the US but found to be far more unreliable than its rival the VW Beetle.
The Japanese sell cheaper and more reliable versions of many European hatchbacks. I’m assuming the Beetle gave VW the punch to go ahead with the Golf in the US.
Isn’t US diesel too poisonous for the most part for European diesels to drink? The best hatches are usually diesel powered in Europe.
Citroen still use their hydraulic suspension system on many of their cars (though cheaper models use more conventional springs and shocks), and Rolls-Royce still pay royalties to Citroen for their self-levelling system. Apart from the self-levelling, another advantage of hydraulic suspension is that the characteristics can be computer controlled by a fiendish system of sensors and valves. Despite all this cleverness, Citroen suspensions aren’t leagues ahead of conventional systems these days, though this was the case years ago. Conventional spring/shock suspension systems are mostly refined enough now to equal or even surpass hydraulic suspension performance.
In Heaven, cars drive YOU!
Also, the French aren’t so well regarded here. They deal with our enemies, they are big arms merchants that don’t care what kind of slime they supply to, they spy on us militarily and conduct industrial espionage, particularly on our tech and aerospace. Airbus wouldn’t be where it is today without stolen trade secrets and heavy subsidies. Try to sell a french car in Seattle to a laid off Boeing worker 
Regarding the hydraulic suspension: i understand that the system is indeed complicated. but a Dutch guy i used to know told me that the system is pretty reliable, and the components in it can be readily changed out if something goes wrong. Face it, repalcing shocks/struts is not cheap 9for VWs struts can soct upwards of $160 each (exclusive of labor). So maybe the CITROEN system has something to recommend it. As for the ideosyncracies: CITROEN had that single-spoke steering wheel, and that wild rotating-drum speedo-that was pretty neat. incidentally, how well to the Russian cars sell in the UK? As i recall, you could buy a Russian "lada’ for less than a Korean car.
As a US diesel owner, I can tell you it’s more complex than that. In the US, you get low sulphur diesel (for the time being). In Europe, you get ultra low sulphur diesel (which we will have something similar to here soon). We used to have a much higher sulphur content, which was in the fuel paritally to lubricate the fuel pump parts, partially so they could use cheaper nitrile hoses. Diesels used to all have extremely complex pumps that were sensitive to not being lubricated. Most today have common rail systems that are not so sensitive to lubrication. Since the sulphur makes for lots of particulate emmissions, the regulating agencies lowered its content. This low sulphur, and ultra low sulphur fuel makes the fuel line hoses age quickly, wreaking havoc on older engines. In Europe, the fuel is also lower in other impurities, making them pollute less overall, making them more popular with both the governments and the consumers.
Both reigons have differnt regulations regarding the emissions allowable by diesels, and the US’s is changing in 2007. It is the aforementioned jumping through hoops and certification that keep European diesels from the US. Oh, and lack of demand, until recently. Go try to buy a diesel Jetta, if you stop to think if you like the color, someone else grabs it. If the different regulations for diesels in the US keep established automakers like VW from bringing over most of their diesel models, think about the hurdle the gasoline regualtions must pose to a company that would be building sales from the ground up.
Ok, enough about oil burners. I know there are no dealerships here anymore, but I saw 2 Puegeots, a 307 and a 207 in one day while on a trip to D.C. in 2001. Made the place seem line it was crawling with french cars. Makes me wonder to this day if there is a reason that they seemed to have so many. I dunno why the don’t sell more here. They seem incredible on WRC, and they do not break any more than anyone else does. If the street version is to the race version like the street WRX is to its race version, then I would love to drive one.
Oh, and I really do lust after the variety of diesel passenger cars in Europe. I would have to agree, the best ones are the diesels, if only for the fact that the engines are usually more durable, and usually go much, much further before having something go horribly wrong.
Puegeot and Renault did sell cars in the U.S. They were just not successful. Renaults were total garbage. Peugeot was constantly under the gun from safety groups. In the end the cars simply didn’t sell well enough to justify the continuing effort to sell them.
How about French Canada - do they have outposts there?
The same thing happened to Fiat at about the same time, in case you’re wondering where the cheap Italian cars are.
Renault’s image wasn’t helped by their temporary control of what had been American Motors. It cost them a pile of money, too.
They stopped selling Ladas here about ten years ago. I think they were even cheaper than Hyundais, Protons etc. of the time. They were an absolute laughing stock, some of their models being based on Fiat designs of the 1960s, but you did see quite a few of them about, especially in the 80s when their cars weren’t quite so ludicrously out of date. Wikipedia says that they had 2% of the UK market at their peak :eek: .
I like 1960s Fiats!
Yes, but these were Russian knock-offs of 1960s Fiats. Think Yugos, but built by people who did more drinking.
Add into the mix the fact that until your importer captures a goodly percentage of the market, parts and service will bankrupt you. Just try to find someone who knows French or Italian cars outside of a major metro area. And good luck getting that fuel pump from Lyon.