Peugeot 308, 2008 and 4008 go driveaway

SALES-STARVED Peugeot is offering driveaway deals on the 308 Access hatch, 2008 Active crossover and front-drive 4008 Active compact SUV in a bid to entice customers into its dealerships.

In base Access trim, the critically acclaimed 308 small car is temporarily $22,990 driveaway with a six-speed automatic transmission thrown in and the warranty extended to five years (but still 100,000 kilometres as with the standard three-year cover).

With the automatic 308 Access usually listed at $21,990 plus on-road costs, this offer effectively wraps on-roads and an extended warranty up for $1000 over the base price.

Peugeot says it is offering the same deal on the 2008 Active crossover at $25,990 driveaway, but the 1.6-litre variant is already exclusively offered with a four-speed auto. The usual price of $25,490 plus on-roads for this variant equates to customers getting the longer warranty plus registration, stamp duty and dealer delivery thrown in for $500 under Peugeot’s March offer.

Higher-spec 2008 variants, the 1.6 petrol Allure and 1.6 turbo-diesel Outdoor also benefit from the offer’s five-year warranty.

Representing the best deal of the bunch is the Mitsubishi ASX-based 4008 2WD Active SUV, which is usually listed at $29,990 plus on-road costs but in addition to the automatic transmission and warranty upgrades, gains 18-inch alloy wheels, a chrome highlight pack and a choice of red or silver metallic paint on the front-drive Active variant for $29,990 driveaway.

These offers join existing driveaway pricing offers on the 208 Access light hatch and RCZ coupe as Peugeot attempts to reverse an Australian sales slide that has been ongoing since 2007, when 8,807 units were sold.

Since then, sales have been in freefall and the brand shifted just 4000 units in Australia in 2015, compounded by a further 19.7 per cent decline year-to-date. To put that into perspective, Peugeot sold more 307 models here in 2007 than it managed across its whole range last year.

It is not all bad news, Australian Peugeot importer Sime Darby is planning to expand its dealership network with six new outlets, boosting the brand’s presence Down Under. Sime Darby has also broken into the volume-boosting fleet market, sealing deals with cosmetics brand Nutrimetics and supermarket giant Woolworths.

Peugeot is also undergoing a product renaissance with well-received models such as the 308 and 2008 plus brand-building GTi sports variants – and more are on the way.