Peugeot targets 10,000 sales

PEUGEOT Automobiles Australia expects the arrival of the 407 mid-size family to play a key role in driving it to a record 10,000 sales in 2005.

The replacement for the 406 is launched in Europe around February next year and arrives in Australia in the last quarter as a sedan, with the wagon due early in 2005. The coupe – tipped not to be a hard-top convertible – is expected to reach our shores some time later in 2005.

The 407 was previewed at the Frankfurt motor show by the Elixir concept car, the front end of which in particular, with its gaping mouth radiator, is close to the production car.

PAA, owned by Sime Darby, took over local Peugeot distribution from Inchcape in late 2001, growing sales from 3400 to 6500 in 2002 on the back of the 307 small car, and this year expects to finish at 8000.

Next year, boosted by three niche models – the 206 GTi 180 and 307 Touring which go on sale this month and the coupe-cabrio 307CC which should appear in January – it is forecasting a moderate increase to 8500 sales.

PAA public and customer relations manager Mathew McAuley expects the 407 to trigger the next surge in sales.

"The fact we are going to have a very modern new entrant hopefully well priced in that segment should attract a lot of interest," Mr McAuley told GoAuto during last week’s 307CC international launch in France.

"It will be the first time our model range has been synchronised. 206 started it and then 307 came along, but 406 has been sitting outside the family for some time.

"It has also been for the last two or three years a 500-600 a year proposition for us and our volume aspiration for 407 are substantially more.

"Modernising our representation in that market segment means the vehicle gives us a better platform to go out and sell the message that Peugeot is not just a small car company."Details are limited on the 407 range but the forecast from Peugeot is that the new car will be physically bigger and there will be more differentiation in styling terms between the various streams of the family.

Petrol engines are expected to be updated or carried over while the diesel range – Peugeot is a dominant player in the tiny t-d passenger car market in Australia – will be dramatically overhauled with a second generation of engines which will include particulate filters.

CHANGE OF HEART ON MINI WAGON

PEUGEOT Automobiles Australia has now almost certainly decided against selling the 206 SW mini station wagon here.

After crunching the numbers and comparing local sales expectations against those of head office, local enthusiasm has definitely faded.

The five-seat 206 SW would have been launched around April 2004, with 400 annual sales predicted for the single-model 1.6-litre 206-based wagon. A $2000 price hike over the 206 XT five-door was tipped.

"It’s just a business case issue, we probably won’t take the car," said Mr McAuley.

"Things like how many we were going to take, the volume we would have needed to justify ADR requirements being completed." Originally, PAA actually favoured introducing the 206 variant rather than the 307 Touring.

In other Peugeot model change news:* The pricing of the 307 Touringfive-seat wagon has been announced as $31,690 for a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel model based on the XS specification, while the 2.0-litre petrol version is based on the XSE spec and starts at $33,190. The 307 Touring is based on the traditional station wagon called the Break in Europe, and not the 307 SW, a seven-seat wagon with a panoramic glass roof. The SW had been considered for Australia but its third seating row could not pass ADR requirements.

* A minor 607 update is flowing through at the moment, with the most significant features being rear side airbags and remote control for the boot. The price stays at $79,900.

* The 107 mini car is still under evaluation for Australian sale in 2005. A concern is the side opening electric doors displayed on the Sesame concept at Paris in 2002, which previews 107. If such a feature was standard, it would probably drive the 107’s price too high for the Australian market.