City quietly wooed car maker to site HQ in Seattle

Brian Surratt, director of Seattle's Office of Economic Development, traveled to Paris in March, where he and other officials pitched Seattle as the new North American headquarters for French auto company PSA Group, which includes Peugot and several other brands. The trip wasn't made public at the time, but emails obtained through a public records request revealed the trip. Pictured: The administrative building of the French auto maker PSA Peugeot Citroen factory in Mulhouse is pictured, on April 29, 2015 at the plant in Mulhouse. AFP PHOTO / SEBASTIEN BOZON (Photo credit should read SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images) less Brian Surratt, director of Seattle's Office of Economic Development, traveled to Paris in March, where he and other officials pitched Seattle as the new North American headquarters for French auto company PSA ... more Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close City quietly wooed car maker to site HQ in Seattle 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Seattle is a "premier Creative Class city," perfect for the new North American headquarters of French car maker Peugeot.

That's the message in a script that was set to be read by Mayor Ed Murray in a video pitching Seattle as the future U.S. home for Peugeot, according to emails obtained by SeattlePI.

"With our network of transportation hubs, our world class universities, and our blossoming South Lake Union Innovation District built around Amazon's world headquarters -- Seattle is a premier Creative Class city -- home to the brightest minds and exciting industries that are shaping

the 21st century economy," the script read.

City Hall didn't disclose that Seattle officials were courting Peugeot, nor did they make public a March trip to France at public expense. The efforts haven't yet proved effective -- emails indicate Seattle was among three cities in the running for the yet-to-be-announced Peugeot North America HQ.

At least two city officials -- Brian Surratt, executive director of the Office of Economic Development (OED), and Scott Kubly, director of the Seattle Department of Transportation -- joined a state Department of Commerce official in Paris in early March to pitch Peugeot on Seattle, according to emails obtained by through a public records request.

The Department of Commerce's Allison Clark, managing director for business development, went along with Seattle officials to recruit investment into Washington state, Commerce spokesperson Penny Thomas confirmed Tuesday by email.

OED spokesperson Joe Mirabella declined to comment, other than to say by email that he had no updates.

The trip was about a month before PSA Group (which includes Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Vauxhall) announced that it would launch its car-sharing service, Free2Move, in Los Angeles as part of a plan to return to the North American market.

For Surratt, who was set to be in Paris from March 2 to March 11, the trip was both business and pleasure, one email showed.

"I will be out of the country March 2-11. I will be traveling to Paris; it will be partly personal with my wife and daughter and then I will be joining Scott Kubly and leadership from the Washington Dept. of Commerce to present to ... Peugeot and pitch Seattle as their future North American headquarters," Surratt wrote in the March 1 email to leadership and other staff with OED.

PSA Group hasn't made any public announcements about a headquarters site, but Surratt said in one of the emails that Seattle, Atlanta and Raleigh, North Carolina were finalists for the site.

The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, though it was late in the evening at the Paris-based office when SeattlePI sent an email.

The car-sharing entry marked the first time Peugeot had done business in the U.S. since 1991, when it pulled out of the market entirely. Citroen left the U.S. in 1974.

In Murray's script for the video, he touted Seattle's growth and the city and state's records on electric vehicle ownership. He also noted BMW's ReachNow service, which only operates in two other American cities.

"PSA will benefit from the mobility cluster that has taken root here," the script read.

It also appeared from one email that Murray might have needed help saying "Peugeot" correctly.

"If we need to change 'PSA' back to 'Peugeot' can someone smart/more cultured than myself teach the Mayor how to properly pronounce Peugeot?" wrote Will Lemke, press secretary for Murray's office.

In a response by email late Tuesday night, Lemke explained to SeattlePI that he was just doing his due diligence, not suggesting that Murray couldn't pronounce "Peugeot."

"I asked for the proper pronunciation so that I could brief Mayor Murray on how to say it properly in the event he asked," Lemke wrote in the email. "It is something you do as a professional staffer."

Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, city hall, and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.