After some especially trying years, the brand with the lion logo has clawed its way back. As so often happens when a company slows or stops spending on new vehicles to preserve cash, things get a lot worse. Now though, the much admired 3008 and 5008 are not only selling up a storm across Europe but have even become the combined number one in France – almost unthinkable for a market where small cars have for decades been the best sellers.
It isn’t just at home where Peugeot is enjoying a sales expansion. Even in Germany, where the brand languishes in 15th position, things improved in May. In Italy, Spain, the UK, Turkey, Russia and even in China, Peugeot registrations are on the rise.
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More investments in replacement cars and additional ones need to be made, though. Additionally, not just the Peugeot marque but Groupe PSA remains weak in what are termed New Energy Vehicles by the Chinese government. Peugeot EVs and plug-in hybrids are taking a long time to reach the market there, and the same applies in Europe.
The following feature is the first in a series which looks at the major models of each of the five passenger vehicle makes belonging to Groupe PSA. After Peugeot will come Citroën, then DS Automobiles. The series will be rounded out by an overview of plans for Opel-Vauxhall.
A segment
The 108, a replacement for the 107, had its global debut at the Geneva motor show in March 2014. Production commenced at the PSA and Toyota Motor Europe JV plant in the Czech Republic during May 2014. As was the case with the 107, the 108 is one of three near-identical models, the others being the Toyota Aygo and Citroën C1.
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By GlobalDataGiven how successful the partnership has been, the third generation 108 and C1 due in 2023 should again be a JV with Toyota Motor Europe. The cars need a fresh architecture: the current ones are based on Toyota NWC, a platform which dates as far back as the Vitz/Yaris which first appeared more than a decade ago. Production should remain at the Kolin plant in central Europe. TME and PSA will likely expand their JV to include a small car for Opel and Vauxhall to replace the Karl/Viva which is manufactured by GM Korea.
B segment
SC21 is the project code for a B segment car being developed by Groupe PSA for its Indian JV.
The 208 replaced the 207. The car’s motor show debut was at Geneva in March 2012 although the Trnava plant had begun a slow ramp up commencing in November 2011. Build at Poissy (France) was added in January 2012, followed by Brazil in February 2013 and China during the second half of 2014.
A facelifted 208 had its world premiere at the Geneva motor show in March 2015. It went on sale across Europe three months later.
The 208 was one of the models named by PSA and Iran Khodro in a January 2016 media release concerning production of Peugeot models at a IKCO plant in Tehran. The first vehicles rolled off the production line at the Tehran plant in the second half of 2017. The fate of this JV is now up in the air though, as Groupe PSA has been made to comply with US-commanded sanctions on the Iranian state.
The second generation 208 should use CMP, an architecture which Groupe PSA and Dongfeng Motor have co-developed. Production should be at plants in France, Slovakia, China, Brazil and Iran. At a briefing to capital markets in September 2017, executives stated that the next 208 would go into production during September 2019. An electric variant was also confirmed. The range of the latter will be 300km, it was claimed.
Groupe PSA is said to be planning to build a B segment car at its Indian JV in 2020. The vehicle is reportedly being developed as a competitor for the Maruti Suzuki Swift.
In January 2017, Groupe PSA announced a deal with New Delhi-based CK Birla Group for a return to the local market via a JV. This will mean production at a Hindustan Motors plant in Chennai. Presently, this site assembles Mitsubishi vehicles.
Logically, the car’s architecture would be CMP, which is for smaller Groupe PSA and Dongfeng Motor vehicles. The French firm and its Chinese part-owner co-developed this low-cost platform. The Fengshen AX4 was the first model for CMP. Multiple future Citroen, DS, Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot vehicles will be underpinned by its matrix of modules.
SC21 will likely be based on the next generation Peugeot 208 although another possibility is that Groupe PSA will instead ship the tooling from the current PF1 platform 208 to India.
C segment
The 308 has just over two years of production remaining. The five-door car was announced in May 2013, with its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show four months later. The 308 SW, the wagon, had its world premiere at the Geneva motor show in March 2014. The SW is built alongside the hatchback at Sochaux in France.
The future 301 might be the first vehicle for PSA’s forthcoming plant in Morocco.
See below for the 408 (second generation) which was launched at April 2014’s Beijing motor show. This car can be thought of as a sedan version of the 308. Confusingly, there is also a 308 Sedan, this car having had its world premiere at the Beijing motor show in April 2016. It went on sale across China from September 2016.
The next 308 is expected to be manufactured at the same plants as the existing car, which means production or assembly in France, China, and Nigeria but there should also be build in Iran. At this stage it is too early to speculate on whether or not there will be any shared build locations with Opel but that could well be a possibility.
The first 408 was a C segment sedan sold mainly lower income markets. The latest, second generation car had its world premiere at April 2014’s Beijing motor show. It went on sale in China four months later. The 408 is effectively a sedan version of the 308 though confusingly, there is also a Chinese-built 308 Sedan. The platform is EMP2.
A facelift for the 408 is due out later in 2018, to be followed by the arrival of a third generation model in 2022.
The other model in the C segment is the 301, a 4.45m long sedan for selected, mainly lower income markets. It is the twin of the Citroen C-Elysee.
Turkey was the first market, the car going on sale there in November 2012. The 301 is also sold in China, Mexico, Central and Eastern Europe, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the Middle East, plus Nigeria and certain other African markets. The situation regarding assembly in Tehran remains unclear.
The 301 might be the first vehicle for PSA’s forthcoming plant in Morocco. The company has not named the models that it will build there. A media statement in June 2015 said the firm would “…build a plant in the commune of Ameur Seflia in Kenitra province, which will begin producing B and C segment engines and vehicles as from 2019, in order to meet the needs of the region and of Moroccan customers. Starting out with an initial production capacity of 90,000 engines and vehicles, the plant will ultimately raise output to 200,000 units in line with future market demand”.
A facelifted 301 premiered at the Guangzhou motor show in November 2016. There should be another facelift in late 2018.
The second generation 301 is due in 2020 or 2021 though there is a chance that it might instead appear in 2019 if PSA decides not to give the existing model a second styling refresh in 2018. The next CMP-based model should stay in production for eight years.
D segment
Groupe PSA took the radical step of making the second generation 508 a hatchback instead of a sedan. That means it is aimed at the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia and VW Arteon as well as the Skodas Octavia and Superb.
The 508 hatchback had its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March. Its maker calls this car a “five-door fastback coupé-saloon”. It is lower and shorter (from 4.83m to 4.75) than the former 508 sedan. The boot’s capacity is 487 litres. Weight is said to be have reduced by 70kg thanks to a thermoplastic tailgate plus aluminium being used for the front wings.
Even though sales of the outgoing model have been minimal in places such as the UK, Australia, Ireland and Malaysia, PSA will also offer the 508 with right-hand drive. This is in contrast to Renault’s policy of only building the similarly sized Talisman in LHD form.
There is more headroom in the back of the new 508 SW than in the hatchback.
Engines at launch will be 1.6-litre petrol, 1.5-litre diesel and 2.0-litre diesel. These are manufactured at PSA’s Trémery and Douvrin plants, while the car itself will also be built in France (Mulhouse). There should be production in China too in partnership with Dongfeng Motor.
The estate was announced to the media earlier in June and will be revealed to the public at the Paris motor show. It is due to be on sale across Europe from early 2019. There is more headroom in the back of the SW than there is in the hatchback as the estate’s roofline does not slope so acutely behind the B pillars.
The 4,778mm long Sport Wagon has the same frameless design for its side windows as the hatchback. Its wheelbase is 2,793mm long. As yet there is no word on a potential successor for the RXH crossover.
Pick-ups
There is presently one Peugeot pick-up, with another under development. The first, which is derived from a Nissan body-on-frame platform, is a modified version of the aged Zhengzhou Nissan Rich, a built-in-China model. It went on sale in selected African markets from September 2017.
The Peugeot Pick Up is powered by a 2.5-litre diesel which develops 115PS and 280Nm, combined with a manual five-speed manual gearbox. It is available in 4×4 and 4×2 versions.
In November 2016, Groupe PSA and and STAFIM, Peugeot’s long-term partner in Tunisia, signed a letter of intent to assemble and sell the Peugeot Pick Up from mid-2018. The number of kits being exported from China is 1,200 per annum.
As for the second pick-up, Groupe PSA and Changan Auto told the media in September 2017 about a JV to co-develop such a vehicle. Even though PSA stated then that this model would complement the Nissan-based existing model, given the age of the vehicle which the Pick Up is based upon, it will likely be supplanted by the newer model in the early 2020s. The newer model will be manufactured by Changan at its Ding Zhou plant from 2020.
Although the model in question is termed an LCV, passenger versions are expected to follow. Oddly, the English language version of the original French media release translated “tonne” as “ton”.
The next 2008 will be another vehicle for Dongfeng Motor and Groupe PSA’s CMP architecture.
It should be noted that no guidance has been issued by Groupe PSA over which brand or brands its version(s) of the Changan-engineered pick-up will be. It is presumed that the LCVs architecture will be a body-on-frame design but this is not confirmed.
Crossovers & SUVs
The 2008 is one of Groupe PSA’s best selling vehicles. This small crossover, a derivative of the 208, was launched in Europe from June 2013. Unlike many competitors, drives goes only to the front axle. It is built in France, Brazil and China and production is about to start in Tehran as part of a new JV between PSA and Iran Khodro.
A mid-life facelift for the 2008 premiered at the Geneva motor show in March 2016. This should be the last update before the second generation model appears in 2020. That should be based on the CMP architecture with production at the same plants as the existing model.
Peugeot revealed the second generation 3008 to the media in May 2016, ahead of its Paris show debut four months later. It offers greater passenger and luggage space compared to the first generation model, which continues to be built and sold in China. This is why the newer model is sold as the 3008 SUV in the PRC. Even more confusingly, another version of the latest 3008 is sold in China as the 4008.
Production of the 3008 for European markets takes place at Sochaux in France and the architecture is EMP2. A facelift is due in 2020 and a new generation model in 2024.
Exclusive to China, the 4008 is the rest of the world’s second generation 3008 with a different body. The 4008 premiered at the Chengdu motor show in September 2016. It went on sale locally immediately after the show. There are three turbocharged petrol engines: 1.2, 1.6 & 1.8. The 4008 is manufactured in Chengdu by Dongfeng Peugeot. It should remain in production there for seven years.
The second generation 5008 is an SUV, whereas the previous model was a monospace/minivan. PSA, having seen the European people carrier segment shrinking, took the decision to make the second generation model a seven-seater SUV. It is 11cm longer than the first 5008.
The 5008 was announced to the media in September 2016 a few weeks before its public debut at the Paris motor show. As well as at Rennes, the 5008 is built in China at DPCA’s fourth. The first examples came off the line at the Chengdu factory in November 2016. This was some months ahead of the (delayed) start of series production in France.
As this large crossover is basically a lengthened 3008, the 5008 should have the same life cycle as its big-selling brother. That means a facelift in 2020 and a replacement in 2024. The third generation 5008 will likely use a fresh architecture, although this, EMP3, might be evolved from today’s EMP2.
Monospaces
Unlike the Citroen Berlingo Multispace and Opel/Vauxhall Combo Life, the new Rifter can be ordered with all-wheel drive.
Rifter (model code: K9) is the name of the successor to the Partner Tepee. It made its world debut at the Geneva motor show in March. The Citroën Berlingo/Berlingo Multispace replacement and the Opel/Vauxhall Combo Life are part of the same development programme and all are based on the EMP2 platform.
Unlike the Berlingo Multispace and Combo Life, the Rifter can be ordered with all-wheel drive. This is supplied by Dangel. The French firm has created four-wheel drive Peugeots and Citroens since 1980.
A facelift for the Rifter likely won’t appear until 2023. Given how long both generations of the Partner remained in production, the Rifter will probably not have a successor until 2029. That means there should be a second facelift in 2026.
The Traveller, a larger van and minivan, was announced by Peugeot in December 2015. It is part of a three vehicle joint venture, the other two models being the Citroen SpaceTourer and second generation Toyota Proace. All are manufactured at the SEVEL nord plant in the French town of Lieu-Saint-Amand/Hordain.
PSA and TME revealed all three models at the Geneva motor show in March 2016. Each is available as an MPV for private buyers and as a Shuttle for business users. Up to nine occupants can be carried. The Proace, SpaceTourer and Traveller share powertrains and a platform.
These vans and MPVs were the first vehicles for a modified version of the EMP2 architecture. This has the front part of that platform but the rest was developed especially for the SpaceTourer, Proace and Traveller.
The LCV versions of the Traveller and SpaceTourer are the Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy/Dispatch. Expect facelifts in 2020 and replacements in 2024. Opel-Vauxhall variants will be included in that project too.
EVs & PHEVs
The iOn is a small plug-in model which sells in very small numbers, mostly in Europe. It is built in Japan by Mitsubishi Motors and, like the Citroen C-Zero, is a lightly altered version of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Production of the cars for Groupe PSA started in October 2010.
Due to slow sales, the Ion is not expected to be directly replaced and build at MMC’s Mizushima plant will likely end soon.
One segment up, there will be a EV version of the 208, Peugeot’s then CEO Maxim Picat told just-auto.com in May 2016. It is presumed that this will be the next generation model. “All C- and D-cars, including SUVs, will have new plug-in hybrid powertrains. It will start with 3008 in 2019. For the smaller cars, like 208 or 2008, we will launch an electric version of them,” Picat stated.
A plug-in hybrid petrol 508 is due to become available in China and across Europe from October 2019.
There will also be an EV version of the next 2008: at the presentation of the DPCA strategic plan on 11 May 2016, Carlos Tavares and Zhu Yanfeng, the respective chairmen of DPCA’s two company shareholders, signed an agreement to design an electric version of the Common Modular Platform (CMP). This future electric platform (e-CMP) will deliver a worldwide offering of all-electric, high-performance B and C segment vehicles for the Peugeot, Citroën, DS and Dongfeng brands from 2019.
Groupe PSA executives stated at a capital markets day in September 2017 that the electric 2008 would be on sale during the first half of 2020.
There could also be EV versions of the future 301 and 408 sedans as they should be based on CMP. And even though it is around the same size, an electrified version of the 3008 will instead be a PHEV. That’s because its architecture is EMP2. This will have a petrol-electric powertrain: the former 3008 HYbrid4’s combustion engine ran on diesel. The PHEV will also be the first 3008 to offer all-wheel drive. Peugeot has said nothing about a 5008 PHEV and there have been suggestions that this model’s roomy third row of seating is the reason why: the packaging might be compromised should a battery pack be squeezed in.
In the D segment, Peugeot has had mixed results with electrified models. The 508 and RXH hybrids did not sell, as buyers were put off by high prices, while the choice of diesel rather than petrol doomed the 508 HYbrid4 to failure in China. Undaunted, PSA will try again, only this time it will offer a plug-in hybrid petrol 508. This is due to become available in China and across Europe from October 2019.
Future model plan reports for other manufacturers can be viewed in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future product program intelligence
More detail on the past, current and forthcoming models for every division of Groupe PSA can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database which is part of QUBE.
