A wholesale revision of working processes is set to leave Peugeot UK in better shape when the credit crunch comes to an end.

“I am confident that we will come through it with a business operating on better foundations. Changes that have been made will give us a stronger foundation for the future,”  managing director Pierre Louis Colin told AM.

Speaking at the Paris Motor Show, he said a review of processes had increased efficiency of the French company’s UK operation. 

“We are achieving significant improvements that will make us stronger when trading conditions improve.“Pressure on prices looks set to remain for the next few months, which means we will be unable to recover significant losses arising from the weakness of sterling, but we will survive and thrive,” he said.

“In a market that was 22% down in September, we are better placed than many of our rivals. Our strength lies in small cars and our models are doing well.

Overall, our numbers may be down, but that is only the result of our withdrawal from poor business,” he added.