President Hollande has fallen
into yet deeper trouble over his choice of scooter when he visits his actress
friend, Julie Gayet. A Peugeot concessionaire has written to Arnaud Montebourg,
minister in charge of promoting French products. The letter starts:-
“Minister, it is
with very great pleasure that we learned that the President of the Republic
assures his personal mobility on a 3-wheeled scooter. Our joy is however slightly
lessened by the fact that the presidential scooter is a foreign brand”, begins
the missive. Indeed, if the Italian brand, Piaggio and its emblematic model
three-wheeled MP3 are the market leader, Peugeot is now a serious competitor.
Their ‘Metropolis’, released in 2013, "well-received by consumers, is sensitive
to the ”Made in France” label”. The scooter was also labelled
“France original guaranteed” by the association Pro France.
Noting a space
in the President’s personal diary on Friday, from 11 to 5, the
concessionaire offers him a test ride of the Peugeot machine. They also note
that all is not lost. The President has a French helmet.
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