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Stellantis Korea CEO Bang Sil speaks throughout a press convention at its headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Stellantis Korea
Stellantis Korea will revive its 2026 gross sales momentum by launching two new strategic lineups — Peugeot’s 5008 hybrid SUV and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, its CEO Bang Sil advised reporters throughout a press convention, Thursday.
Bang, who took the helm at Stellantis Korea on Feb. 1, 2024, is now getting into her third 12 months as CEO, dealing with mounting challenges because the carmaker grapples with declining car gross sales.
The carmaker lately started accepting pre-orders for the Peugeot 5008, a premium SUV, forward of its official launch in Korea this February.
The third-generation 5008 is provided with Stellantis’ much-touted electrification platform, the STLA Medium, which makes the car a well-balanced possibility when it comes to gasoline effectivity and environmental friendliness, the carmaker mentioned.
“The 5008 SUV will play an essential position in refreshing Peugeot’s momentum and drive a turnaround of the model in Korea,” Bang mentioned. “The mannequin is a mid-size SUV with strong demand from clients.”
The totally redesigned car presents improved inside house, versatile seating configurations and versatile cargo choices — qualities the carmaker says are important for a household SUV.
Peugeot’s 5008 hybrid SUV / Courtesy of Stellantis Korea
Nonetheless, Jeep stays a significant gross sales driver for Stellantis Korea. A complete of two,072 Jeep automobiles have been offered final 12 months — greater than double Peugeot’s 979 items throughout the identical interval. The model’s efficiency depends closely on its flagship Wrangler SUV, which accounted for greater than half of Jeep’s complete gross sales in Korea final 12 months.
Aiming to spice up gross sales throughout its Jeep lineup, Stellantis Korea plans to launch the Grand Cherokee’s facelift in Korea in 2026.
“For Jeep, we’ll focus extra on strengthening the symbolic picture of Jeep and Wrangler this 12 months,” Bang mentioned. “Stellantis Korea additionally expects the upcoming Grand Cherokee facelift to leap into the continuing SUV bandwagon with robust gross sales,” Bang mentioned.
Stellantis Korea has to realize a significant gross sales rebound to defend itself from rising threats posed by price-competitive electrical car (EV) makers, corresponding to China’s BYD. Tesla can be quickly increasing its presence right here with a particular deal with boosting gross sales for its inexpensive entry-level lineups.
Jeep’s Wrangler Rubicon SUV / Courtesy of Stellantis Korea
In line with knowledge from the Korea Vehicle Importers & Distributors Affiliation, mixed gross sales of Jeep and Peugeot automobiles have steadily declined over the previous few years, reaching 3,051 items in 2025 — a 53.5 % drop from two years earlier.
The carmaker additionally faces challenges in its EV technique, because it presently has no all-electric fashions accessible on the market in Korea.
“We take into account introducing Peugeot’s E-3008 and E-5008 EVs, however it should take some extra time for us to repair the precise timeline, as their imported gross sales value is not going to be aggressive sufficient in Korea in the meanwhile,” Bang mentioned.
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