Classic Panhard Name to be Revived by PSA for Luxury Brand?
Most large automakers consist of a regular brand, plus a luxury division. It’s a global phenomenon. GM’s got Chrysler, Ford has Lincoln, while overseas in Japan Honda has Acura, Toyota makes Lexus and Nissan builds Infiniti. Even luxury brands have ultra-luxury divisions, such as Mercedes-Benz’s Maybach and BMW’s Rolls-Royce. But PSA Group (Peugeot and Citroen) are one of the few groups that have not included a luxury brand within their auto group, although this could soon change according to Automotive News Europe and Autocar.
One of the most important goals that PSA’s new leader, Christian Streiff must achieve is to improve the desirability of the cars its brands produce. In an interview with Automotive News Europe, he stated that, “going into premium vehicles is one of the options the new management is considering.â€
For quite some time both Peugeot and Citroen have striven to enter the prestige marketplace by producing large sedans, which, while usually lauded for innovate designs are not hot sellers like BMW’s 5-Series or Audi’s A6. However, reviving a defunct brand that has heritage – especially one that has been unused on cars for more than 40 years – would better the chances of the vehicle being received as a luxury car, especially if the products it produced were solely high-end. That brand could be Panhard.
Panhard might be a relic of a nameplate, only familiar to deeply knowledgeable French classic car enthusiasts, but in its day it was the automaker to beat. Panhard was producing cars a full five years before the turn of the 20th century, and what’s more is that the vehicles it made established the layout of modern cars with a front-mounted engine plus front wheel steering. It doesn’t sound like much of an accomplishment, but keep in mind that during those days automakers were still experimenting with the number of wheels a car ought to have and whether steam was the optimal power source!
Besides constructing cars, Panhard also participated in motor racing, competing in what is widely regarded as the first car race, which took place in 1895. Panhard also established a reputation as a sort of French Rolls-Royce, producing some of the finest vehicles in the world. Through its R&D, Panhard also developed innovative suspension components; perhaps you’ve heard of a Panhard Rod, a special type of suspension linkage that’s still used in cars today. After being purchased by Citroen in 1965, production quickly decreased until the company ceased to build civilian automobiles. From 1967 and on, Panhard produced armoured cars and military-spec vehicles as a subsidiary of PSA.
However, in 2004 the Panhard name swapped hands from PSA to a company called Auverland that produces military-spec 4X4 vehicles. Whether or not PSA is able to regain control of Panhard has yet to be seen, but it will make for an interesting brand revival, similar to how DaimlerChrysler brought its ultimate luxury brand Maybach back to life. But does it really make sense for PSA to resurrect a brand that has little global appeal? What about names like Delage, Delahaye or Talbot-Lago? They’re not only more popular among collectors the world over, but they sound much more sophisticated than Panhard.