America's Future French Cars Will Have German Engines

Assuming PSA Group‘s plan to re-enter the U.S. market isn’t thwarted by an all-out tariff war, you can expect to see Peugeots or Citroëns plying the roadways of America by the middle of next decade. Maybe it’ll be sooner than that.

Whenever they arrive, the vehicles will boast four-cylinder engines designed in Germany by Opel, a former General Motors division whose parent decided to put it up for adoption.

Opel says its Rüsselsheim Engineering Centre will build the next generation of PSA Group’s four-cylinder gasoline engines. Promising improved fuel efficiency and lowered emissions, the company claims these new units will boast direct injection and turbocharging — and that they’ll be “optimised for operation in combination with electric motors.”

It’s only natural that with diesel on its way out the door in Europe, special consideration must be given to hybrid powertrains. Opel claims the new engines will meet emissions standards in three target markets: Europe, China, and North America.

While the automaker didn’t describe just how broad this engine range will be, it says it’s using the existing 1.6-liter PSA engine as a starting point. The engines should start appearing in PSA vehicles in 2022.

As for when PSA vehicles will start appearing on American shores, that’s far less clear. Until the dust settles in the current trade brouhaha, PSA can’t gauge the financials of returning to the United States. The automaker hopes to rely heavily on technology, not a dealership network, to move its wares, but there’ll be approvals needed first. Earlier this year, the company said it’s already engineering models that will be compliant with U.S. laws, adding that it could pull the trigger in about three years’ time, should it choose to.

[Image: PSA Group]