[Peugeot-L] Re: France slaps penalties on gas-guzzling cars

PSA needs premium brand, something bigger over 607 and C6. They are going to make it with diesel-hybrid powertrain but how they are going to sell it?
One rumour is that they will revive Panhard name but maybe one of the following is their coming premium brand: Delahaye, Delage, Hispano-

Pasi from Finland
405 SRI
309 GT
305 GL
206 XRD

• In peugeot-L@yahoogroups.com, "alan5o5" <alan5o5@...> wrote:
  >
  >
  > If I recall correctly they did the same thing back in the 1940's.
  > The result; France lost its domination in the luxury car market.
  > Anything over 2.7 liters was taxed as a luxury car. Bye-bye Talbot-
  Lago,
  > Delahaye, Delage, Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, etc..
  >
  > It's interesting to compare England's "export or die" auto industry
  with
  > France's "tax and die" industry. If France had adopted a similar
  philosophy
  > luxury cars would have still been associated with Talbot-Lago,
  Delage and
  > Bugatti vs Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Bentley. How did taxing a
  historic and
  > innovative industry to death improve matters?
  >
  > Ironically when I explain to people that the most valuable, most
  sought
  > after cars are French Pre-war luxury cars I get a look like they
  are waiting
  > for the punch line. These are the same consumers who think the
  > badge-engineered Cadillac Escalade/Chevy Tahoe is a luxury vehicle.
  >
  > I was fortunate to see this 1937 Delage D8-120 S up close in Paris
  back in
  > 2006.
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/54291245@N00/sets/72157603434623156/
  >
  > One can only imagine what a modern Delage would look like if they
  had not
  > folded back in '53.
  >