Peugeot 508 2011 News

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of national safety recalls, with models from Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroen, Ram and Aston Martin affected.

The French brand expects to see a 25 per cent lift here this year, riding on an aggressive schedule of new models. The invasion has already started with the recently arrived 508 GT Touring, and next soldiers to land will be the 4008 compact SUV, a special edition of the RCZ sports car, the all-new small 208 – plus limited-edition run-out models of both the 207 it replaces and the 308 – and some green-uniformed troops in the form of the 508 RXH and /or 3008 Hybrid4 are being considered. “The outlook this year is extremely positive despite difficult economic and competitive trading conditions,” Peugeot Australia general manager Ken Thomas says, adding that it’s off to a good start with sales targets exceeded with the help of restored 508 supply. “With the imminent launch of the new 4008 SUV, and later the long-anticipated 208 range, we’ll see Peugeot Australia lift sales by 25 per cent to around 7000 units,” he says. Both vehicles head into segments pumped with buyer energy while others – like the gasping large car sector – are looking for life support. “With the compact SUV segment already growing by a massive 48 per cent, we see the launch of 4008 filling our gap there as a critical element in our overall growth strategy,” Thomas says. Australia will be one of the first markets to get the Japan-built 4008, and Thomas expects buyers will respond to its “European styling, safety, performance and luxury equipment and -- above all else -- competitive pricing and capped price service plan”. But he is also expecting a splash from the 208 hatch in the premium light car segment, which rose 28 per cent in 2011 with the outgoing Peugeot 207 holding more than half the sales. “The light hatch is synonymous with the Peugeot brand, with the iconic 205, 206 and more recently 207 models,” Thomas says. “We fully expect 208 will contribute around 2000 sales per year as we drive our overall volume toward 8000 units in 2013. “The 208 hatch range arriving in October will bring a totally new design coupled with innovative standards of technology and performance, and very competitive pricing.” He says the local HQ is also eyeing the diesel-hybrid RXH and 3008 Hybrid 4 models, and will bring both to the Australian motor show in October to gauge reaction for an on-sale date in 2013. “There is growing interest in the next generation of engine technology so having 3008 Hybrid 4 and RXH presents us with the opportunity fill this gap. The combination of Peugeot’s HDI diesel engine with electric motor powering all four wheels, is a natural marriage of both technologies and one this market will surely embrace,” Thomas says.  

It arrives in Europe mid year with two distinct body styles; three and five-door with an extensive range of petrol and diesel engines including an all new three cylinder petrol unit and the latest generation of stop & start (e-HDi) diesel engines. Peugeot has rewritten the rule book with 208 with a desire to reinvent the principles on which the success of icons like the 205, 206 and 207 were built and to 're-generate' them. By achieving average CO2 emissions of 34g/km lower than the 207, the 208 takes the lead in its segment. Its latest generation engine technology and the use of the innovative e-HDi micro-hybrid stop & start system on virtually all versions, add to the vehicle's improvements in terms of weight reduction and aerodynamics. The 208 introduces a new range of three cylinder petrol engines, 1.0  and 1.2-litre VTi, which are particularly efficient.  Weight, aerodynamics and of course the PSA Group's technological expertise with innovation in terms of both HDi FAP diesel, VTi and THP petrol engines, are factors which place the 208 as a leader in the segment. The diesel range kicks off with the 1.4 HDi with 50kW/160Nm and a five-speed manual gearbox capable of 3.4-litres/100km. There's a 1.6 turbodiesel too. It's not known what specification 208 will be brought to Australia.

Peugeot is releasing less confronting new models as it looks for explosive sales growth in Australia. Just a month after Renault launched a Camry-style new model called the Fluence to wind back on its quirky Frenchness, Peugeot says it also intends to pitch its future cars at a broader audience. Peugeot admits there are only a limited number of 'loyalists' it can tap from its past history and says it needs more mainstream acceptance to hit its target of 8500 sales in less than five years. "You might say we're being more conservative. But we're looking to grow the business, in Australia and globallly," says Peugeot's Australian chief, Ken Thomas. Peugeot has 10 new models in the pipeline - including a born-again baby GTi and a compact SUV with a sub-$30,000 base price - and is starting its product offensive with the all-new and inoffensive 508 flagship. It is the least-Peugeot of any newcomer in style and driving feel, and more Japanese in many ways, something that's expected to be reflected in less polarising design and cabin quality in all of its future models. Peugeot sales are currently sitting at around 6500 cars a year but the target is 8500 by the end of 2012, with another big jump in 2013. "All that adds up, in terms of the Australian story, to an exciting story. We'll bring cars to market fairly quickly," says Thomas. "This year we expect to sell around 6500 cars, a modest increase on 5600 last year. If you look at the moment, we're about line-ball with last year, but we ran out of stock of 407 and our SUV. "By 2012 we think we can raise our volume to 8500, thanks to our existing range and some key new models. By 2013, the aim is to lift our volume b a massive 70 per cent. It looks a tall order but there is a product plan behind it. By the end of that year we'll look like a very different company." Thomas outlines an offensive that starts with the 508 and an updated 308 - which finally loses the gaping mouth and Angelina Jolie lips of the current car - then adds an eHDI powerplant before the end of this year, before the arrival of a new 4008, the Hybrid 4, new 408 and baby 208 before the end of next year. Apart from the newcomers, Peugeot has also just chopped $1000 from the pricetag of the baby 207 range, leaving the starting price at $18,990 with a boost of leather trim in the CC model, and also cut $6500 from the 4007 to have it starting at $34,990. "We have ten new models to revitalise our product offering. It will include the return of GTi," says Thomas. But there is one question he cannot answer yet - the possibility of a 508 coupe. "It's an unanswered question. The only thing we've seen is the SR1 concept car, but it remains to be seen if it makes it to the market. We cannot confirm if the coupe will be replaced," he says.

It's the first full electric car to get the maximum safety score, although a range of petrol-electric hybrids, including the Toyota Camry, which has just moved up in local testing, have managed a five

The Peugeot 508 SW is getting the crossover treatment to compete in Europe against a variety of high-riding wagons including the Audi Allroad, Volvo XC70 and Skoda Octavia Scout.The mechanical package will be much the same as the near-new 508 wagon, but the Allroad - if that's the name it eventually gets - rides a few centimetres higher to make it suitable for weekend escape work.Carparazzi says the Allroad should be ready for the road in time for the Frankfurt show.

The 508, which arrives here mid-2011, continues the three-digit tradition set by the 40 series and 50 series sedans. It will be unveiled in October at the Paris Motor Show. The car's design closely follows the SR1 concept car, and features a new high-tech interior and high quality finish.  Under the bonnet, the 508 will get a new range of petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. The range will be equipped with new technologies, including Peugeot's e-HDi system, essentially a new-generation stop/start system with improved driveability and economy.  The company is also planning a HYbrid4 version with a 147kW diesel and all-wheel drive potential. with a rate of emissions of just 99 g/km of CO2. Like past Peugeot's the suspension has been set up for both high comfort levels and roadholding.  Like the 407, the 508 will be available as a sedan and wagon, which Peugeot calls the SW. At 4790mm, the sedan is 99mm longer than the 407 while the 4810mm long SW is 45mm longer.  Based on PSA-Peugeot Citroen's platform 3 shared with the Citroen C5, the 508 will be produced in Rennes-La-Janais, in France, for the European market.  From 2011, it will also be built in Wuhan, in China.

Called the 5, the concept sedan is being joined by the SR1 sports car concept at this week’s Geneva Motor Show. Its flowing exterior design conceals Peugeot’s HYbrid4technology, which will be launched in Europe on the 3008 from 2011. The 5 is expected to be launched as the 508 early next year. It uses a 120kW 2.0-litre HDi diesel engine up front combined with a 27kW electric motor at the rear, delivering a maximum output of 147 kW. It also benefits from an electric-only mode at low speeds, four-wheel drive on demand, and low levels of fuel consumption and emissions - 3.8 litres/100 km or 99 g/km of CO2, or 0 in ZEV mode. The 5 also represents Peugeot’s new styling direction and is expected to be aimed at the VW Passat, upper end Mondeo models and will also tackle the compact Germans from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The 5 will combine the large 607 style of vehicle with the current 407. The design features a new take on the Peugeot grille and a BMW style kink in the rear C-pillar. Compared to the current 407, it is more harmonious and streamlined. The 5 is 100mm longer, 69mm wider and has a 90mm longer wheelbase, which should translate into more interior room for the production car. At the front, the finish of the feline expression is spectacular with LED tube lights highlighted by a luminescent surround that blends with the body. A new lion logo naturally takes its place in a sculptured section at the end of the long aluminium bonnet. In profile the car gets beveled, brushed-aluminum window surrounds, door handles in the same material, and sculpted 19-inch alloys.