Plethora of new Peugeots

PEUGEOT will make up for its recent lack of new model activity in Australia by unleashing a succession of upgraded and additional models between now and mid-2010, when the chic RCZ coupe is due for release here.

The procession of new Peugeots will also include the 4007 mid-size SUV this November, an all-terrain version of the 207 Touring in December, the 3008 compact crossover next March and both a hybrid version of the 3008 and the replacement for its 107 city-car in 2011.

Peugeot’s long-awaited new model release campaign started last month when the upgraded 407 Series II sedan and wagon range went on sale with minor specification upgrades – as an all-diesel line-up.

“We have made the decision to focus on diesel with the 407 due entirely to demand,” said Peugeot Automobiles Australia (PAA) director Ken Thomas at this week’s launch of the 308 CC. “There will be no more petrol 407 models.” This month’s redesigned 308 CC will officially go on sale nationally by August 1, with two specification levels and both turbo-diesel and turbo-petrol engines expected to attract 60 customers a month, falling to 50 a month next year, with entry-level petrol variants to account for the lion’s share.

Left: Peugeot 4007. Centre: Peugeot 3008. Below: Peugeot 407 coupe.

A specification upgrade for Peugeot’s smallest model in Australia, the 207, will be available in Australia by September, before the Mitsubishi Outlander-based 4007 wagon arrives in November.

Delayed like the 308 CC due to overseas demand, the 4007 is built by Mitsubishi in Japan alongside the Citroen C-Crosser, and has found 20,000 new homes in its 18 months on sale globally. As the French brand’s first SUV, it will allow PAA to compete in 20 per cent of Australia’s new-vehicle market.

It will be available here on as a diesel, powered by a new single-turbo 2.2-litre HDi diesel engine with FAP particular filter, which produces 155kW and 380Nm of torque.

Priced from about $45,000 as a five-speed manual and with a Getrag dual-clutch automatic transmission also on offer, the 4007 will be available with five or seven seats, with all versions fitted as standard with electronic stability control, ABS brakes and six airbags.

“We don’t hide the fact the vehicles (4007 and Outlander) share a common platform. (But) Even the entry-level model will be quite premium,” said Mr Thomas, who added that the 4007 will be unique in the Australian market and was extremely impressed after driving it recently.

Rounding out the new model releases in 2009 is a crossover version of the Peugeot’s light-sized wagon, dubbed the 207 Touring Outdoor Edition. The unique 207 retains its front-wheel drive configuration, but offers increased ride height and body-side cladding.

PAA expects the total Australian industry to slow following a dramatic sales pull-forward in June, when it sold more than 450 versions of the 308, which comprises 37 per cent of Peugeot sales here, and is hoping to sell 6430 vehicles (down from 7255 in 2008).

All Peugeot models in Australia will come standard with electronic stability control by February next year following its fitment in the entry-level 207 and 308 – well ahead of the government-mandated date of 2014.

PAA will also import an example of the recently upgraded 3.0-litre V6 diesel-powered 407 Coupe for evaluation and expects to make a decision on its Australian future within two months.

Kicking off the Peugeot’s 2010 new-model launch schedule in March, however, will be yet another small crossover in the 308 Touring-based 3008, which emerged as the Prologue concept and has just been released in Europe.

The front-drive 3008, which features a horizontally-split two-piece tailgate and unique cockpit-style interior, initially will be available with a 2.0-litre HDi diesel engine with FAP particulate filter before being joined by a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine shared with BMW – both with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

Two specifications will be offered, both featuring a five-mode electronic stability control system, six airbags, 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, an electric parking brake and underfloor compartment, with premium versions adding extras like a panoramic glass sunroof and pop-up head-up display.

Pricing for the 3008 range, which has become a sell-out success in Europe, will start at $40,000, but the 308 crossover will also form the basis of Peugeot’s first hybrid model in Australia.

Due to emerge in Europe in late 2010 before arriving here in 2011, the all-wheel drive hybrid version adds a 147kW/300Nm electric motor to drive the rear wheels and is said to reduce fuel consumption to below 4.0L/100km and CO2 emissions by 35 per cent – to 109g/km.

Before then, however, Peugeot will deliver the production version of its RCZ coupe, details of which will be announced in France later this week ahead of its Frankfurt motor show debut in September. First presented as a concept in 2007, the 2+2-seater coupe is now a “live” project and will enter production for Australia in April 2010, before arriving here in July.

Styled along similar lines to Audi’s now-iconic TT but wider and some 100mm longer overall at 4290mm, the RCZ features a carbon/alloy-look cabin and will come powered by Euro V-compliant turbocharged petrol and diesel engines mated to both six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

“The RCZ came out of nowhere – we just thought it would be a concept car,” admitted Mr Thomas. “This time they’ve stayed faithful there will be very little change from the concept, except maybe for wheels.

“I think it is a bold step for Peugeot to do this … but it will reinstate the brand in the sportscar market and we’re delighted to have an entrant in that category.

“I’d be surprised if we didn’t sell between 350 and 400 in a full year.” With 300 examples of the RCZ expected to be sold next year, when Euro V-standard engines will also become available in the 308, PAA has forecast a total of 6900 sales in 2010, including 500 examples of the 4007, 550 3008s, 350 407s, 3150 308s, 600 308 CCs, 750 207s, 300 207 CCs and 400 commercial vehicles.

With 3173 sales to June this year, PAA sales are 15.4 per cent down in a market that has decreased by 16.1 per cent. However, the company recently won a sizeable Queensland government fleet deal from three other rivals and, with 50 per cent of its 42 dealers located in rural areas, says it is well placed to advantage of increasing diesel vehicle sales. Diesels now account for 60 per cent of Peugeot’s sales.

Further afield, in yet more surprising model news from Peugeot, Mr Thomas said that Peugeot’s European micro-car star, the 107, will not be sold in Australia due to its popularity elsewhere – but its successor most definitely will.

“The replacement for the 107 is the 108 and we won’t see that for at least 18 months,” he said.

Asked to confirm if PAA plans to release the 107 replacement in Australia, Mr Thomas said: “Absolutely. The 107 is the first car we’ve been denied, after three years of trying.

“At this stage we don’t have an entrant in the market below $20,000 and that will certainly provide one. It’s a beaut little car with good interior dimensions and a funky interior. We’d love to have it.” Dubbed the 108, the 107 successor will be produced in greater numbers than its predecessor, 100,000 examples of which are produced annually in the Czech Republic alongside its sister models in the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo.

Like the 107 and 207, which has a starting price of $20,990 for the 1.4-litre XR three-door and is currently Peugeot’s most affordable model in Australia, the 108 is expected to be available in both three and five-door body styles. The 107 is powered by a 1.1-litre turbo-diesel engine.

What’s coming from Peugeot:
407 Series II range	June
308 CC range	July
207 Series II range	September
4007 HDi	November
207 Touring Outdoor Edition	December
3008 HDi	March 2010
308 HDi EU5	April 2010
3008 petrol	May 2010
308 petrol EU5	June 2010
RCZ coupe	July 2010
3008 AWD Hybrid	2011
108 range	2011
207 replacement	2012
308 replacement	2013

Read more:

Citroen's C-Crosser closer

Peugeot's first-ever SUV not coming here