Peugeot cuts 308 range to six

PEUGEOT has made aggressive revisions to its most popular model line-up, stripping 11 variants from its 308 small hatchback and wagon range.

It has also stacked the six remaining variants with bonus equipment to enhance attractiveness.

The line-up previously kicked off with the $19,290 manual Access, but that has been dropped in favour of the more generously equipped Active with automatic transmission as standard for $27,990 before on-road costs.

Above the Active, the Allure hatch used to have a 1.6-litre Euro 5 emissions-compliant petrol engine, but that has been upgraded to the 1.2-litre turbo that complies with Euro 6 regulations with a corresponding price increase of $1000 to $32,990.

Alongside the petrol Allure, the Allure 110kW HDi diesel is still available, but for $36,990, representing a $3304 increase. However, it now comes with more kit including blind-spot monitoring, active cruise control, pre-collision braking, keyless entry and start, plus a refreshed interior design.

Allure Premium variants that were previously available in both petrol and diesel in hatch and wagon have been discontinued, removing a further four choices from the 308 range.

Just one 308 wagon remains – the 110kW 2.0-litre HDi diesel Allure with a price increase of $2947 to $39,490.

It gains the same equipment as the Allure hatchbacks with the exception of the reversing camera, which was already standard fare.

The 1.6-litre petrol-powered 308 GT has also been put out to pasture, with only the 2.0-litre 133kW 2.0-litre HDi remaining and unchanged from $42,990, despite gaining a Cielo panoramic glass roof.

At the top of the pack, the 308 GTi was previously on offer with a choice of two power outputs, but the GTi 250 has been dropped, leaving only the most powerful 200kW 270 version with an unchanged price of $49,990.

With the discontinuation of previous petrol GT and Access, the GTi is now the only model available with a manual gearbox. All others are paired with an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission.

Options include leather interior and 18-inch wheels, except in the case of the GTi which has the items as standard.

Peugeot Australia general manager Kai Bruesewitz said the 308 range restructure would appeal to customers, offering a simpler selection process while increasing value and competitiveness.

“These revisions have been made in order to increase the appeal of the highly awarded 308 range while increasing value and specification and reducing model complexity,” he said. “The range now better mirrors customer demand and market needs.

“In today’s market, satellite navigation and reversing cameras are considered non-negotiable and we have worked to ensure that the entire range now features these as standard, while adding further niceties along the way.”

Mr Bruesewitz said the new 308 line-up strategy would be applied to more lines as they arrived, including the imminent 2008 and 3008 crossovers.

“These changes signal a change in the way we will structure our model line-up in the future, with greater emphasis on delivering vehicles that are not driven by price but offer greater value. It essentially sets the tone for upcoming 2008 and 3008 SUV launches,” he said.

As the company’s cash cow, the 308 has attracted 1158 sales to the end of November this year, in front of the next best performer – the smaller 208 hatch which has 587 registrations to its name.

If the 308 range shuffle has the desired effect, Peugeot still has a long way to go if it hopes to catch the big players in the small hatchback market where the Australian favourite Toyota Corolla is out in front with 37,403 sales year to date, followed by arch rival Hyundai i30’s 34,937.

2017 Peugeot 308 pricing*

Active (a)	$27,990
Allure petrol (a)	$32,990
Allure turbo-diesel (a)	$36,990
Allure Touring turbo-diesel (a)	$39,490
GT (a)	$42,990
GTi 270	$49,990

*Excludes on-road costs