PSA Taps Former Nissan Exec to Head U.S. Return

PSA Group has hired Larry Dominique to lead the company’s North American operations as it plots to return to the market over the next decade. The carmaker’s Citroen and Peugeot brands exited the U.S. in 1974 and 1991, respectively.

Dominque spent more than 20 years at Nissan Motor Co., eventually rising to lead the carmaker’s product development efforts in the Americas. He also was an executive vice president at TrueCar Inc. He headed the online car buying services’ industry valuation firm Automotive Lease Guide for five years before leaving in 2016. Dominque previously held engineering positions with Chrysler and General Motors.

In the newly created position of senior vice president for PSA North America, Dominique is charged with implementing the North American portion of the “Push to Pass” global business plan PSA announced a year ago. The job reunites Dominque with CEO Carlos Tavares, whose time at Nissan overlapped with his.

PSA plans to test the waters in the U.S. through its new Free2Move mobility services unit. These efforts started last year with a partnership with French battery maker Bollore on electric vehicle car-sharing programs in Indianapolis and Los Angeles. Earlier this year PSA also invested in ride-sharing company TravelCar, which is expanding its airport ride-sharing business to the U.S.

PSA plans to use input from customers for its mobility services to help shape the relaunch of its traditional car business in the U.S., Dominque tells Automotive News. The intent is not to jump in and create market share as quickly as possible, he stresses, but to "be firmly established” in the region within 10 years.

Still to be decided is which brand to launch in the U.S.: Peugeot, Citroen or the recently relaunched DS upscale performance unit. Also unresolved is a budget and building a distribution channel, Dominque notes.