HOME	SEPTEMBER 04th, 2004

SEPT 04

The Peugeot 407 is finally here in Grenada. The ultra-modern vehicle was introduced to the public for the first time on Saturday in the car park of Hubbard's Motor Department.

It's a replacement for the 406 model which the company has been selling to Grenadians since 1997. The price range is from $95, 000.00 to $105, 000.00 for this vehicle which is packed with a series of advanced safety features for drivers and passengers.

One of the vehicles has already been sold to the local manager of American Airlines (AA), Gillian Thompson, the wife of Geoffrey Thompson of Renwick & Thompson.

At Saturday's launch of the Peugeot 407, the Managing Director of Hubbards, Allan Bierzynski indicated that safety and comfort have been foremost in the design of this car, and that it shows in the finished product. In addition, he said that the new engine on the car is more fuel-efficient.

Following is an edited version of Bierzynski's speech:

Ten years ago, Hubbard's Motor department recognized that our strong market position as a supplier of well-built, reliable, and affordable vehicles was being eroded by external forces beyond our control.

Both of the Japanese manufacturers which we represented were withdrawing from the highly competitive medium size passenger car market to concentrate on the production of commercial vehicles.

At around the same time, some of the major European manufacturers seemed to have rather belatedly recognized that this market, admittedly small, probably did present certain opportunities in the hands of the right dealer.

We are pleased to say that ten years later, it does appear that Automobiles Peugeot made the right decision in appointing Hubbard's their dealer in Grenada.

I must recognize the major advances in technological capability made by our Service department headed by Mr. Michael Lewis and his team of technicians as a result of the regular overseas training sessions at which we have been represented.

We have had electronic diagnostic capability since 1995 using CD-ROM media, which was supplemented last year by an internet support platform in Manchester.

Mr. Lewis has just returned from a training course in Panama. We are now ready for our next phase of development, which is wireless internet connectivity from the car in our workshop to the server platform in France. This is the "Peugeot Planet System", and today it's here in Grenada.

As a result, we expect to be able to continually improve the efficiency of the service offered to all Peugeot owners, regardless of the age or model of the vehicle if originally purchased from us. We see this as critical to meeting the Brand Standards of Quality, which will determine customer satisfaction and loyalty to the brand.

In this regard, we are pleased to note that in the last several years we have had repeat buyers of Peugeot vehicles including Mr. Larry Griffith, Mr. Martin Mendes, Mr. Leo Cromwell, Mrs. Gillian Thompson, and perhaps our best sales representative Mr. Anthony Cherman.

But we are here today to witness the launch in Grenada of the newest addition to the Lion Brand, the Peugeot 407. The car has been described by the experts as having German solidity, and Italian flair. What I can tell you is that "....the car nice !"

Safety and comfort have been foremost in the design of this car, and it shows in the finished product. The new engines are more fuel-efficient, and are combined with 4-speed auto-adaptive gearboxes with the "Porsche Tiptronic System".

307 drivers have been enthused by this feature for some time, and we believe that in the 407 it's even better. There will also be available from October this year a modern high-performance inter-cooled turbo-charged diesel engine compliant with Euro 4 legislation because of its particulate emission filter.

This engine should be up to 35% more fuel-efficient than gasoline engines under local conditions, and given the international situation it may be that we will finally see local consumer preferences shift to diesel-engined passenger cars as is the case in Europe where the market share is 60%.

The Peugeot marque is synonymous with dynamic performance, safety, and driving pleasure accomplished without in any way compromising driver and passenger comfort.