Peugeot 404 Reviews

Peugeot has revealed pricing and specification for its new mild-hybrid hatchback, the 308 GT Hybrid, as the brand moves to scrap petrol and plug-in hybrid variants from the range, including the 308 wagon.Just one hybrid variant of the 308 will be available across the line-up once it arrives in Australia in early 2025, with pricing for the 308 GT Hybrid set to commence at $48,990 before on-road costs.That is $5000 more expensive than its outgoing petrol equivalent but more than $10,000 cheaper than the electric E-308, which is priced at $65,990 drive-away.Once drive-away pricing is calculated for the 308 GT Hybrid, it will likely be a few thousand cheaper than its key rival, the Honda Civic e:HEV LX, which starts at $55,000 drive-away.It will pack less power than the Civic, carrying a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol three-cylinder hybrid engine paired to an 0.9kWh battery pack and a single electric motor that delivers 100kW/230Nm combined to the front wheels via a six-speed electric dual-clutch gearbox.The hybrid Civic, on the other hand, carries a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine paired with a single electric motor and a 1.05kWh battery pack to deliver 135kW/315Nm to the front wheels through an electronic continuously variable transmission.Both vehicles share the same fuel consumption figure of 4.2L/100km, with the Peugeot 308 GT Hybrid emitting a fraction less carbon at 95g/km compared to the Civic hybrid’s 96g/km.It’s 1.1L/km more efficient than its petrol counterpart and produces 23g/km less carbon. It’s 3.1L/100km thirstier than its plug-in hybrid counterpart, which uses just 1.3L/100km.In terms of styling, the 308 GT Hybrid shares most of its design highlights with the rest of the Peugeot 308 range, using Peugeot's distinct fang-shaped LED daytime running lights and full-LED ‘claw-effect’ 3D lighting at the rear, which sits above twin chrome exhaust tips.As standard the Peugeot 308 GT Hybrid gets 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, and full-matrix LED headlights, automatic rain-sensing wipers, a heated rear windscreen and wiper blade, auto highbeam function and dusk-sensing headlights.Inside, there are twin 10-inch digital screens, one for a configurable driver’s display and the other for touchscreen multimedia functions, the latter is compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.It also gets a multi-function steering wheel in full-grain leather with “Adamite” green stitching, Alcantara and synthetic leather upholstery, an air purifying system, a premium Hi-Fi speaker system, wireless charging and eight-colour ambient lighting, among other features.Advanced driver assistance systems include Autonomous Emergency Braking with low light pedestrian and cyclist detection, Long-range Blind Spot Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control and front and rear parking sensors.Customers can spend an additional $690 for several metallic paint options or $1050 for ‘Elixir Red’ paint. The 308 GT Hybrid comes standard in Obsession Blue.The Peugeot 308 GT Hybrid comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, with interested customers encouraged to contact their local Peugeot dealer for pre-order.The outgoing 308 range has struggled on the sales charts this year, with sales down 41.7 per cent to just 140 sales to October this year as buyers increasingly favour cut-price Chinese rivals in the electrified hatchback segment, such as the MG MG4 and GWM Ora.Customers who are interested in purchasing a petrol 308 variant are encouraged to contact their local Peugeot dealer to secure one of the limited remaining vehicles.

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It didn’t take a crystal ball to foresee Citroen’s departure from the Australian car market. The French brand had struggled for years, both to find its identity and sell cars to local buyers.Ultimately, it doesn’t matter about heritage, longevity or brand recognition if you don’t sell enough cars in the relatively small Australian market. Just ask the people at Holden about that.But with Citroen meeting what felt like an inevitable demise, it’s worth turning our attention to the other brands that face a similar struggle. To be crystal clear, this article is not suggesting any of the following brands are in imminent danger of departing the local market.Instead it is simply a study of those near the bottom of the sales charts that have a chance to improve their position, or risk suffering the same endless questions Citroen executives endured over the past decade.Rather than dwelling on the negatives, we’ll look at the ways these brands could turn their fortunes around in Australia.The little Italian brand just keeps plugging away with its solo model, the 500e (and its Abarth variant) to fly the flag now the petrol-powered 500 is gone after 17 years on sale.In the first half of 2024 Fiat managed just 290 sales, which represented a nearly 30 per cent decline on the same period in 2023.On the plus side, Fiat is under the wider Stellantis banner and will gain support from that, as well as the additional 533 sales of Fiat Professional's Ducato van. The reality is, Fiat is not a volume brand in Australia, it’s a high-margin niche one focused on electric cars in a still growing EV market. As long as the brand’s management accepts that and plans accordingly it will tick along steadily.In the first half of 2024 the British brand sold just 403 cars, which is a small number — even for a luxury brand. What’s really surprising is that that figure represented a near 70 per cent increase on the the first half of last year.But there isn’t any panic or even concern within the Jaguar offices. The Big Cat is in a holding pattern at the moment as the brand tries to reinvent itself (again) as an all-electric upper-luxury brand. So there is no investment in the current product line-up, with the XE, XF and F-Type all no longer in production.When the new electric models come online in the next year or two, expect Jaguar to leap back into action, but for now, expectations have to be kept in check.The problem for Genesis is it’s no longer at the beginning of its story. The brand has been on sale as a stand-alone entity for five years and has multiple models, including three SUVs. In other words, it’s had time to find its feet and has the key models you need.So why then did sales slide backwards 18.5 per cent in the first half of 2024? None of its models are finding much traction against an expansive and diverse array of rivals from the more-established rivals such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Audi. Hyundai is used to playing the long-game, so I wouldn’t expect them to give up on Genesis anytime soon. After all, it’s taken Lexus the better part of three decades to become a thorn-in-the-side of BMW and Mercedes. Plus, Mercedes itself is struggling, taking a 24.1 per cent sales hit in the first half of this year.Genesis models have improved in quality, but the increase in price may stifle the potential for growth. It will be interesting to watch how the brand reacts and evolves in the next 12-18 months.Citroen’s French stablemate also makes this list. Selling just 1190 new vehicles in the first six months of 2024, Pegueot matched its 2023 sales result almost exactly (just four cars difference). While Peugeot does significantly better than Citroen, it’s still one of the smallest non-premium brands in the local market.It’s a shame, because it makes some very nice cars, arguably on par with competitors like Volkswagen and Mazda, but the decision to push more upmarket hasn’t helped volume.The addition of the Boxer, Expert and Partner commercial vehicles (at the expense of Citroen’s former offerings in the same segments) helps to boost the overall numbers, with the Partner the brand’s second most popular model behind the 2008.With Citroen gone, Peugeot will have one less obvious rival and can work to improve its reach, while likely remaining a niche brand. It feels a bit like we’re picking on the Stellantis Group in this story, but this is just the way the numbers have worked out. The American off-road brand should arguably be thriving in the current SUV and ute-dominated market, but the rugged Gladiator and Wrangler, as well as the more luxurious Grand Cherokee, just haven’t attracted buyers in big numbers.Only 1282 sales in the first half of the year, which represents a massive 52 per cent decline on 2023, is not a good position. Perhaps Jeep's new, all-electric and compact Avenger can help rejuvenate its sales and bring a fresh audience? That will certainly be what the brand’s local managers will be hoping for.

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