Electric vehicles: the project with Peugeot Citroën abandoned “for the good of the taxpayers,”

Photo Simon Clark
The minister of Economy, Dominique Anglade

Marc-André Gagnon

On Wednesday 21 February 2018 15:06

UPDATE
On Wednesday 21 February 2018 15:54

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The minister of Economy, Dominique Anglade, ensures that it is “for the good of the taxpayers,” the project of manufacture of components of electric vehicles with Peugeot Citroën has been abandoned, and that, even if Quebec had already swallowed up$14 Million.

• READ ALSO: Project electric automobiles with Peugeot-Citroën: Quebec turns its back to a factory of$600 Million

“The reason is simple: it would be necessary that there is a lot of public money to support this project […]. This is the reason why, for the good of the taxpayers […] we have decided not to pursue the project”, stated in the house the minister of the Economy.

“Not plant project” according to Couillard

The prime minister Philippe Couillard, who had proudly announced the partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroën, on the sidelines of the world economic Forum in Davos in 2016, minimizes today the scale of the project and its state of progress.

“First of all, there was no plant project. The only thing that we did, it was a feasibility study on the technology, see if it had potential for commercialization,” said Mr. Couillard, in a scrum of press at the national Assembly.

Photo Simon Clark

According to the prime minister, the board of directors of Arion Technologies, the company that brought together the partners involved, would put an end to the feasibility study “before it was even finished, because commercially, it was not the road”.

However, according to a source aware of the dossier, it is “a political decision” that would have required the board “to put an abrupt end to the project”, that denies the government.

“The entire board was behind this decision”, said Mr. Couillard.

“The decision was taken by the board of directors, which included both Investissement Québec and both Peugeot. There has been no surprise”, has hammered in the house the minister Anglade.

A “missed opportunity”

According to information collected by The Newspaper, the project was rather so advanced that some spoke of a “new Bombardier”. The plant project, which was around$ 600 Million, would have been able to generate 700 new jobs, with the investment amount of$ 100 Million from the government of Quebec and Ottawa.

According to the head of the parti québecois Jean-François Lisée, it was a “golden opportunity” for Quebec, which eventually turned into “missed opportunity”, because the government of Québec has decided to withdraw.

Photo Simon Clark

The mp caquiste André Lamontagne, meanwhile, complained that Quebec has lost “$ 14 Million” currency in this adventure.