Peugeot chief Linda Jackson: We lack EV help

The push for electric cars faces a ‘Darwin moment’ that could see many manufacturers driven to extinction, the global CEO of Peugeot has warned.

Speaking at the Guild of Motoring Writers’ annual dinner in London, where Linda Jackson was awarded the President’s Trophy for her contribution to the industry, she added: ‘We are all trying to sell more electric cars to people who perhaps don’t want to buy them.’

Many in the sector feel that they, and consumers, need help – with more public charging points and incentives to buy EVs.

But Ms Jackson said: ‘There doesn’t seem to be a lot of help coming our way. 

‘I think it’s going to be a roller coaster.

‘It was “a big question” whether the government’s goal of being fully electric by its 2030 deadline would be met.’

Coventry-born Jackson has been global CEO of Peugeot since 2021. 

As CEO of Citroën in 2014 she became the first British woman to run a car manufacturer, and only the third woman to achieve that in the entire automotive industry.

To women starting careers, she urged: ‘My career excelled when I took risks. So go for it. There are no glass ceilings.’