The Peugeot RCZ, the slinky Audi TT rival so beloved by motoring journalists but not known for setting the sales charts alight, is no more after it was confirmed a second generation of the car will not be produced.
The RCZ is the first model to fall foul of a cull within the PSA Group but it will not be the last with Peugeot alone set to trim its line up from 26- down to 13 models.
The RCZ was seen as too 'niche' for a brand that is trying to assert itself in the 'sub-premium' segment with Peugeot boss Maxime Picat recently saying that: "Chasing niches is for premium brands; for us it has been a distraction." The move away from niche could spell the end for the 3008 and 5008. With MPVs being superseded by SUVs and crossovers the '00' siblings are almost as niche as the RCZ. This MPV cull will not extend to Citroen however, which seems to have struck gold with the C4 Picasso and Grand Picasso.
The Picasso pair are also saved by virtue of being based on the EMP2 platform that also underpins the Peugeot 308. Likewise the smaller members of the PSA family such as the DS3 and 208 have recently been thrown a lifeline with the announcement that the Group, in association with its Chinese partner DongFeng, is working on a smaller version of EMP2 known as Compact Modular Platform (CMP).
Expected to underpin as many as ten models across the PSA Group the CMP platform will also be used by DongFeng on the Chinese market for its own models. In Europe, CMP is expected to spawn next generation versions of the C3, DS3 and 208 and a range of crossovers and small saloons. It does not however extend to the Aygo/108/C1 family, a joint venture with Toyota. That platform is bespoke but with the development costs split and sales of city cars still strong in Europe (if not in Ireland) it is expected the trio will continue.
Back in the Citroen camp it has been suggested by CEO Linda Jackson that future models will be imbued with 'spirit of Cactus' with the Aircross concept being the first sign of that spirit extending. Quite how the likes of the Picasso siblings and the C5 will take to Cactus additions remains to be seen - assuming the C5 survives the cull of course. Sales of D-segment saloons has gone the way of the MPV and with the Group already investing in the Peugeot 508 and DS 5 is there any need for a poorly selling drain on economy? With the C3 Picasso and C4 Cactus seemingly occupying the same space (albeit one is an out-and-out MPV while the other is a hatchback with MPV proportions) might the curtain be ready to come down on the baby Picasso?
Plans for the premium DS brand have been discussed before and with only six models offered worldwide it is likely to be the only brand to expand its line up rather than cull it.
Anything else?
Fans of hot Peugeot's like the RCZ R fear not, while the current flagship is being retired a successor has already been identified in the 308 Hybrid-R. The 500hp hyper-hatch uses the same 270hp turbocharged 1.6-litre engine and existing hybrid technology from within the Group to achieve its power output. It may seem like a pipedream but sources close to the brand have told Completecar.ie that the car will see production.