Tavares has been open about looking to expand PSA – which currently comprises Citroën, DS, Peugeot and Vauxhall/Opel – through acquisitions or partnerships with other car firms. Tavares led PSA’s purchase of Vauxhall/Opel from GM in 2017.
In an exclusive interview with Autocar India, Tavares was asked about rumours of interest in Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by Indian firm Tata Motors. He said that it would be good for PSA to have a luxury brand, and that the company was “considering all opportunities,” adding he would be interested “as long as it’s not a distraction.”
Tavares said that there had been no discussions with Tata Motors about Jaguar Land Rover yet. He also said that “we don’t have a specific target but if there are opportunities, of course, we will consider it.”
Asked further about adding a luxury brand that would sit about DS, Tavares said: "Why not? Why shouldn’t we discuss it? It depends on what kind of value creation we could generate."
Jaguar Land Rover has struggled in recent months, hit by falling demand for diesels and the decline of the Chinese market. Recent heavy losses, including an asset writedown, also caused the Tata Group to post a quarterly loss.
Tavares cited PSA’s success in turning around Vauxhall/Opel, which posted its first profit in 20 years recently, suggesting it could have a similar impact on the strugging British firm: “With Opel, we have demonstrated that we can turn around a company that was in the red for 20 years, in 12 months. So this is something we know how to do.”
Tavares said the group’s current focus was on its ‘Push to Pass’ strategic grValuing used cars, especially when they are oddities, is always something of a coin toss. Indeed, that’s the case with absolutely every old car: they are all unique in their own way, be it paint colour, random dents or the mileage. There are a lot of things to consider and there are no hard and fast rules, just rough guidelines.
It was interesting, then, to get an email from Edward, who has a 2003 Volkswagen Beetle 2.0-litre petrol in silver. In his own words, it is “nothing special but it is immaculate and has done just 25,000 miles. This is genuine. I have the sales invoice from 2004. The mileage is shown then as under 11,000.” It belonged to a friend who did only a few hundred miles a year and sadly passed away, but there is a full service history, plus, as a precaution, Edward had the timing belt and water pump replaced at 18,000 miles. So here you have a new Beetle that is as original as you would ever care to find.
The great thing about Edward is that he is prepared to be realistic about the price. Trouble is, so many owners have unrealistic expectations. Ask any car dealer at part-exchange time. In this case, the new Beetle, although cancelled and potentially making a comeback as an electric one, is a future classic and you might get £2000-£3000 for a mint one like this. Ideally, you need to find a ‘Beetleist’ who wants to make it part of their collection, or maybe use as a daily driver.
That means the rest of us who aren’t bothered can find some low-mile gems. Well, you might not call a Rover CityRover a gem, but I came across a 2005 1.4 Select model with 12,000 miles and presumably owned by some old person. The asking price was still a quite stiff £1499, but I think the dealer would have taken much closer to a grand. Future collectible right there, possibly.
Perhaps a not rusty Ford Ka would be a much better bet. So a 2008 Studio with 10,000 miles might be good. It’s rather more iconic even at £2120, although if you said you were interested in it just as a runabout, you ought to get it way below £2000. Rather more likely to hold and make money could be another retro wonder in the shape of an original BMW Mini. Try a 2004 One with barely 5000 miles at £2995. It would be better if it was a Cooper but, then again, maybe not. In the future, everything will be Cooper-ised so the basic One will be the rarity.
Low-mileage early-2000s retro models. Buy those. You read it here first. Toyota Camry 2.4 CDX: It’s so below the radar that there’s even a chance London’s congestion zone cameras won’t notice you in a Camry. Apart from those who knew it to be a reliable and safe saloon, it barely caused a ripple among new car buyers. The 150bhp 2.4 auto is reasonably quick and does 30mpg. This one’s a 2004/53- reg with 100k miles for £2495.
Tales from Ruppert’s garage
BMW 320, mileage - 82,928: My double garage is rather chock-full at the moment. Two Minis, a BSA Bantam and a ride-on mower. The Baby Shark usually shares that confined space, but an arrival of stuff on the back of a lorry has meant four pallets have taken its place. Exposure to the elements has revealed that the boot isn’t that watertight. Indeed, the boot has popped itself open on a few occasions. When I bought it, I noticed the offside profile is slightly raised so presumably there had been an incident. At the moment, the floor is damp and contents soggy. Not the end of the world.owth strategy to expand the company’s global presence, including expansion into the US, Russian and Indian markets.
In a statement to Autocar India, Tata Motors said that Jaguar Land Rover was not for sale. A spokesperson said: “There is no truth to the rumours that Tata Motors is looking to divest its stake in JLR.”
