Peugeot’s new UK boss says personal dealership experience means he understands the importance of the brand’s retail network as it targets sales growth.
Steve Wass took up the role of managing director at Peugeot UK this summer.
Although his 25-year career with Peugeot’s parent company Stellantis includes several senior roles with Peugeot itself, the wider Stellantis group and fellow group brand Vauxhall, something that sets Wass apart from many manufacturer bosses is the level of first-hand experience he has of dealer operations, having spent much of his career working in the sector.
Peugeot’s new UK boss says personal dealership experience means he understands the importance of the brand’s retail network as it targets sales growth.
Steve Wass took up the role of managing director at Peugeot UK this summer.
Although his 25-year career with Peugeot’s parent company Stellantis includes several senior roles with Peugeot itself, the wider Stellantis group and fellow group brand Vauxhall, something that sets Wass apart from many manufacturer bosses is the level of first-hand experience he has of dealer operations, having spent much of his career working in the sector.
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He tells Automotive Management: “I’ve had probably 50% of my career out in the retail group Stellantis &You, previously Robins & Day. So, I absolutely recognise the importance of the retail mix. It’s always been, if you like, the lifeblood of Peugeot – we’ve always had a very strong heritage in that area.
“But also, I recognise the importance of the network. A brand is not a brand without a strong network to work with as well.
“The retailers know me well from my history with Peugeot, but I think the fact that I’ve also been at the sharp end working at a dealership – and at the time it was the biggest Peugeot dealership in the country – gives me credibility with them as well.”
Wass explains that he has already had two meetings with Peugeot’s dealer council – the membership of which he was already mostly familiar with – and that this was one of his initial priorities on becoming MD.
He says: “We’re focused on taking their feedback, and that’s going to help me build the strategy for 2027 as well, but certainly retail will be right at the heart of that, as will building a continually strong dealer network.”
Wass pleased with Peugeot return
Wass’s new role has seen him return to working for the Peugeot brand directly, having most recently been chief marketing officer for Stellantis UK.
He says: “I had two or three years out of Peugeot, and I’d describe it as a little bit like a parallel universe – everything is very similar to what I left, but different enough to keep me on my toes on a day-to-day basis.
“Stellantis has got a wide portfolio of brands, but cut my arm off and it is blue blood that comes out from all that history with Peugeot. So, it’s great to be back.”
Wass has effectively swapped jobs with Nicola Dobson, his predecessor as MD of Peugeot UK, who has become marketing operations director for Stellantis UK.
He explains: “Actually, the very first day in the job, we did a half-year business meeting with all the retailers – at Stellantis level, but there was a specific Peugeot section to it – and had the opportunity to do a handover on stage with Nicola.
“It was a great opportunity, firstly to do a proper handover in front of the retailers to show that continuity, but also in that we presented together the second-half strategy for the year.”
Peugeot looking to continue recent UK sales growth
Wass has taken over Peugeot UK at a time when it has strong retail performance to build on, with the brand having reported a 20% retail car sales increase over the first five months of this year. Wass tells us that this retail growth has been a focus of the brand this year, and that the trend has continued, which he puts down to a strong model offering, and making sure that customers get “the right specification vehicle with the right offer”.
He explains: “I’m really hands-on with my team when it comes to building those specifications. For example, we’ve just launched a new special edition 208, the Envy, which brings some great new specifications and colours – that’s a good example of where we’re going from a product point of view and there’s more of that to come next year with retail-focused special editions for various different models.
“But then it’s also about making sure that the consumer offers are on target, if you like, for those retail customers. So, we spend again a lot of time honing those offers, and we’ve got a great package of offers currently available, ranging from 0% through the various different PCP offers.
“Peugeot has always enjoyed really strong finance penetration. PCP is our kind of primary mechanism with retail customers, and that continues.”
Peugeot also introduced several price cuts to its UK range a few months ago. Although this was carried out before Wass became MD, he says he would have made the same move.
He says: “It was a rebalance to make sure that, again, the vehicles are on target and competitive in the marketplace and show value for customers, as well as strong specification on the vehicles.
“It’s also part of our overall strategy to keep the focus on residual values.”
Dealer network stability expected – and valued
Wass is currently working on the Peugeot UK strategy for 2027, but he says further growth will be expected – something that fits with the brand’s global ambitions, with Peugeot identified as one of four focus brands for Stellantis alongside Fiat, Jeep and US pick-up truck brand Ram.
Despite growth being targeted, Wass tells us that he does not think dealer network expansion will be required to deliver it, with the expectation instead that network numbers will be relatively stable.
He says: “I’m not expecting any huge growth from that perspective. We’ve got long-established partners. We work with a number of the major groups, that represent at least half the overall portfolio of current Peugeot network dealers. Equally, though, there’s a rich heritage of family businesses as well, so it’s good to see a number of those are still in the network, on their second and third generation of family ownership.
“As I’ve started to engage with the network again, and gone out on retail visits, it’s amazing how many general managers and sales managers are celebrating their 10th, 15th, 20th year with the brand as well. That stability is super important.”
Mix of buyers predicted for new E-208 GTi
Wass speaks to Automotive Management at the media launch of the E-208 GTi, the model which marks the revival of the legendary hot hatch badge, for the first time on an EV. With the model expected to be mainly of interest to retail buyers, we ask Wass whether its customer base will come from legacy GTi fans, or more general EV buyers.
He says: “I think we’re going to get a mix. When I go around the dealers, it’s amazing how many of them have got a heritage 205 GTI sitting in the showroom. So, there’s pent-up demand from some of the historic owners who are waiting for this product to come to market.
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“Peugeot has the strongest renewal rate of any of the Stellantis brands, so there’s a huge opportunity there with that product, but it will bring new people in as well.
“I’m an avid reader of all the forums, and it’s really interesting to see how the sentiments evolved over the last few months. When the first electric performance cars started to come to market. I think there was a natural hesitation of that fan base to go with it. But it’s really interesting to see how it’s changed.”