Peugeot’s new wave not before time

PEUGEOT is about to go through a phase of product renewal with the recently launched 207 light hatch and 308 small hatch ranges to be augmented in 2009 by the 308CC and possibly two new SUV models.

The 308CC, displayed at last week's Australian International Motor Show in Sydney only a week after its global debut at the Paris show, is due in Australia by April next year.

Peugeot’s managing director Rob Dommerson believes that if currency turbulence can be kept to a minimum, then the 308 CC will be good value.

“We’re actually trying to get the vehicle reasonably close to the hard-top market. The 307 CC is reasonably well priced in the market, especially for the equipment it carries, and we’d like to see the 308 CC at a similar level," he said.

The 308 CC has a warm-air heating system built into the front seats, called “Airwave”, which acts like a scarf by diffusing air that is adjustable for temperature, flow and direction around the occupant’s shoulder/neck area.

“We looking at some other things... We’re looking at the 4007, which is the SUV,” said Mr Dommerson.

The 4007, on sale in Europe since 2007, uses a Mitsubishi Outlander platform and mechanicals with Peugeot’s styling changes, and is a collaborative effort also involving Citroen, which sells a version also with unique panels called the Citroen C-Crosser.

“Peugeot has some other vehicles on 308 platforms. There was one at Paris called the Prologue, codenamed T84, which I think is interesting.”

The Prologue Hymotion4 displayed at Paris is widely rumoured to be a smaller SUV than the 4007, possibly to be called the 3008.

Based on the just-released 308 platform, the five-door all-wheel drive hybrid show car has a 2.0-litre HDi engine powering the rear wheels and an electric motor for the front wheels.

Power is a claimed 147kW and CO2 emissions a low 109g/km in the combined cycle, or zero in electric-only mode.

The Prologue Hymotion4 also featured high-tech equipment such as a head-up display and distance alert.

While the production version - whether fossil-fuelled only, or hybrid - has yet to be announced, Mr Dommerson says: “We’re hoping to get that probably towards the end of next year”.

Peugeot needs a product shot in the arm to help boost flagging sales. Despite the arrival of the 308 and two new commercial vans, the Expert and Partner, in year-to-date figures to the end of September it is down 994 units or 15 per cent.

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