Peugeot RCZ :: Second-generation coupe confirmed – report

Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Picat said the company would develop a new RCZ because the sporting coupe was important for the brand's image.

There had been some doubt about the future of the RCZ after the parent company, PSA Peugeot-Citroen, was rescued by Chinese automaker Dongfeng and the French government earlier this year.

Not long after Dongfeng and the French government each injected 800 million euros ($1.16 billion) into the car maker, PSA Peugeot-Citroen announced a new strategic plan, dubbed "Back in the Race". Under that scheme, PSA will reduce the number of models it offers from 45 at the present time to 26 by 2022.

Other stated aims of the plan include raising sales in China from around 550,000 last year to 1.5 million in 2020, and turning Citroen's DS sub-brand into one that will stand in its own right. The latter programme has already begun in China, where the company is set to launch the DS 5LS sedan and the DS 6WR SUV.

The current RCZ (above) is based on the underpinnings of the previous-generation Peugeot 308. The next-generation model is expected to be based on the EMP2 modular platform, which is found underneath the current 308 and the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso.

Production of the RCZ is currently contracted out to the Magna Steyr facility in Austria. It's unknown whether the next-generation model will continue with this arrangement.