Famin: “Believing that electric and sporty are not compatible is a mistake”

In the line of the exclusive interview with the director of the Peugeot brand, Jean-Philippe Imparato, in n°2188 ofCARhebdo (available in digital version and on newsstands), Bruno Famin wanted to return to the end of the program in the World Championship of rallycross (World RX) at the end of 2018.

Through a video broadcast live on the Facebook page of Peugeot Sport, Bruno Famin expressed his empathy towards the Lion supporters. « A radical decision shocked some of you and I can understand that. » And to move on to the evolution of the automobile. “You should know that the automobile industry in general has undergone radical and multiple changes. There are several revolutions underway: autonomous, connected cars, mobility and of course the energy transition itself. »
 

The French manufacturer's philosophy is geared towards future automotive innovations, and too bad for fans of the traditional car. “As a motorsport fan, I understand that we can support or not support these developments, but we must be aware that these developments are irreversible. We have to adapt, it's really fundamental.

The fight against global warming is essential and this involves reducing CO2 emissions. The transition to electricity which is imposed by the authorities will require and has imposed rapid and radical decisions. These are always heavy and difficult choices. The boss of Peugeot did his job by deciding and defining new priorities for Peugeot Sport: developing electrified sports production cars, either all-electric or hybrid. »

Obviously moved, the director of Peugeot Sport continued by emphasizing the development of a range of electric products. “Sportiness has always been in the DNA of the Peugeot brand and thanks to this new project, it will be even more so. Not only am I not worried about the performance level of these cars, but I can tell you that I can't wait to drive them. The detractors of electric are wrong, believing that electric and sporty are not compatible is an error, and I think this is due to ignorance. You must try. Our challenge in this project will be to rally the skeptics and I am confident in our ability to do so. »

A page turns with the cessation of @peugeotsport en @FIAWorldRX. A big thank you to the whole team for this great adventure Make way for new challenges, new challenges Looking forward to writing more pic.twitter.com/FT982eS1hG

— Sébastien Loeb (@SebastienLoeb) 18th October, 2018

But the important information from this speech is the absence of an official Peugeot Sport program until further notice. “Of course, there will no longer be an official program from 2019, for a period that remains to be determined, but Peugeot Sport and motorsport will continue to live. »

The racing branch of the Sochaux brand will only be present via the customer competition. “Peugeot Sport will continue to organize promotional formulas in rally and in circuit. » On the circuit, the 308 Racing Cup will be present as part of the French Championship FFSAGT, the Peugeot Sport Meetings and the 308 TCR in the Tourism disciplines. In rallying, the 2018 Rally Cup is being organized in 208 in the French Rally Championship and the Peugeot Rally Academy in the European Rally Championship (ERC).

Bruno Famin finally concluded his speech with a note of hope. “This is not the first time that Peugeot Sport has experienced a factory program shutdown (entry into the World Endurance Championship was stopped a few weeks before the start of the 2012 season. Editor’s note). A program shutdown is always complicated to live with because it has strong human impacts on fans and team members. It’s also an opportunity to reinvent yourself. »