Lion's Pride

Peugeot UK made a splash at Birmingham Pride with a pair of special electric SUVs. STEPHEN DOBIE tells the story behind them

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June is Pride month, and whether or not you consider yourself part of the LGBTQ+ community, you can't fail to have noticed retailers applying rainbow bunting to their stores or daubing vibrant colours on their social media pages. What once appeared an open goal is no longer such an easy win, however: LGBTQ+ folk and their allies are alert to 'pinkwashing' – brief, superficial allyship – while anyone desperate to identify as neither party may question the need for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures at all.

Thankfully, we can rely on one company to do it properly. “It is clear that there is a deep-rooted appreciation for DEI across the entire network,” said editor Mark Tisshaw of Stellantis at the Autocar Drivers of Change awards back in February, where the global car giant picked up numerous gongs. “This is a company that sets out to bring about tangible and meaningful change.”

That was evident at last month's Birmingham Pride Parade, where a pair of silent but in no way subdued Peugeot electric SUVs blended in rather nicely with the boisterous crowd around them.

“This is a big Pride celebration close to our UK headquarters, so it's really important for us to bring together all of our employees, all of our values, and to go and celebrate in Birmingham,” says Peugeot UK marketing director Maxime Bailly, himself a Drivers of Change winner.