1980 Peugeot 205 Gti 1.9 on 2040-cars

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European car sales up 8% in February

Three weeks ago an analyst increased projections for European car sales this year, expecting them to climb three percent compared to last year instead of 2.7 percent. That number is a postive sign after years of hard times but it turns out February was especially good, overall European sales climbing eight percent on a wave of southern European recovery and discounts - and this comes after five months of gains including January's 7.2-percent jump over the year before.
The only country of Europe's five largest markets to post a decline was France, just as it did in January, Germany, the UK and Italy posting solid double-digit numbers, Spain rocking the charts with an 18-percent increase because of a government program to encourage trade-ins.
The only brand to miss the wave was Volkswagen, dropping 0.8 percent as it watched the double-digit growth at sister brands Audi, Seat and Skoda lift the Volkswagen Group sales up by seven-percent. Peugeot overcame flat sales at Citroën to improve the group by 3.5 percent, BMW and the Mercedes-Benz/Smart combo rose by four percent, the Fiat group jumped 5.8 percent, Ford was up 11 percent, the Renault Group 11.5 percent, General Motors 12 percent and the Toyota clan by 14 percent.

Stellantis and Foxconn will announce a strategic partnership on Tuesday

MILAN — Automaker Stellantis and iPhone assembler Foxconn said on Monday they would announce a strategic partnership on Tuesday. Last year, then-Fiat Chrysler, now part of Stellantis, said it planned to set up a joint venture with Hon Hai Precision Industry, Foxconn's parent company, to build electric cars and develop internet-connected vehicles in China. Fiat Chrysler merged with France's Peugeot maker PSA at the beginning of the year to create Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest carmaker, and relaunching in China is one of its main goals. The two companies will hold a conference call on Tuesday to present the partnership, with Stellantis Chief Executive Carlos Tavares and Foxconn Chairman Young Liu among others, the groups said in a joint statement. In January Taiwan's Foxconn and China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group said they were joining hands to provide contract manufacturing for automakers. They have said they were in talks to provide contract manufacturing services to electric vehicle maker Faraday Future, while Foxconn will also help building electric sport-utility vehicles in 2022 for Chinese startup Byton. And last week, Fisker Automotive signed with Foxconn to build an electric car at a factory in the United States. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid powertrain feature walkthrough | Autoblog

Peugeot 108 completes the trifecta of the Citro?n C1 and Toyota Aygo platform

Renault's rear-engine Twingo isn't the only little French city car launching at the Geneva Motor Show. Peugeot has launched its new 108 as a more conventional front-engine, front-wheel-drive competitor.
The 108 is being offered as a three- or five-door hatchback with either a conventional fixed roof or retracting soft-top. A little hatch like this doesn't need a big engine, and Peugeot is giving buyers the choice of 68-horsepower 1.0-liter or 82-hp 1.2-liter three-cylinder engines. They are available with either a five-speed manual or five-speed electronically controlled gearbox.
It might not look it in the pictures, but the 108 is very tiny. At 136.6 inches long and 63.8 inches wide, it is slightly smaller than a Volkswagen Up. The new Peugeot shares its platform with the Toyota Aygo and Citroën C1, but all three cars have their own unique styling. If you were in the market for a European city car, which would you pick?