All About Peugeot Vehicles
Peugeot is one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world. Starting as a family owned manufacturing plant, the Puegeot’s produced their first car in 1889, beginning a legacy that would last over a century. Since its inception Peugeot has been involved in the high performance industry, creating concept and racing cars along with mass production for consumers. The French company is one of the largest producers in Europe, and has expanded into China and many developing nations as well. Those looking for the cars in the United States are likely to be disappointed, though. The car-maker withdrew from the American and Canadian markets in the early Nineties, citing low sales and high costs of re-engineering their models to meet American safety and performance standards.
While Peugeot maintained a US market presence from 1958 to 1991, their cars are designed with an eye towards European performance standards, which focus more on handling than collision safety. They also moved towards smaller, urban models which were unpopular in those markets at the time, though they are seeing a resurgence. The models that are likely to be found in the US as vestiges from that era, such as the popular model 505, are unlikely to have modern safety features such as airbags and automatic seat belts. Parts and repair are also more expensive, as there is no longer dealer infrastructure here.
Peugeot car insurance is going to be effected by a number of factors unrelated to the model itself; such as the age of the driver, their geographic region and driving history, however Peugeot owners will have to factor in lower safety ratings on older Peugeot models, which will increase the cost of Peugeot insurance. Additionally, the added costs associated with maintenance and repair will increase premiums. For those importing a newer model Peugeot, the cost of maintenance and repair will still be a factor, however the fuel efficiency and improved safety ratings should also be considered.
Peugeot auto insurance is complicated by the lack of dealer presence in the United States. With an aging existing population, the costs are influenced by the likely expenses or risks the models represent. High performance and specialty models represent a risk in terms of expense to replace and increased speed of driving. While older consumer car models such as the 505 are less of an initial expense, but still disproportionately expensive to replace and carry a higher risk of personal injury costs. While common in most of the rest of the world, their absence from the US market is a detriment to current and potential US owners.
