We get accustomed in the car industry to ambitious claims, pomp and usually a whole lot of nonsense, so it is refreshing to see Peugeot taking a realistic stance when it launched its new models early last week.
The Peugeot 308, 207SW and 4007 SUV all took their Irish bow before they go on sale later this month. Peugeot has modest expectations of selling 3,000 units of its new family hatchback, 250 units of the 207SW and 200 units of the 4007. Speaking at the launch, sales and marketing director Mark O'Connell said: "This figure reflects our decision not to get heavily involved in the corporate, fleet and car hire market, which we believe affects residuals and has no margins."
Compared to big sellers like Ford's Focus and Toyota's Corolla and Auris, the lower sales expectations of the 308 mean it won't challenge their dominance, but Peugeot hopes the new car, reviewed in last week's Motors, will offer new and existing customers more quality, safety and a greater choice of engine technology.
The 308 will be available in six trim levels: S, SE, ST, SV, SX and GT. While equipment on the basic models is adequate, with six airbags and ABS with EBD, it is expected that the majority of sales will come from SE grade upwards, where air conditioning comes as standard. Knee airbags are standard on SX, SV and GT grades. The majority of sales will come from the 1.4-litre 95bhp petrol engine. Prices start at €20,395 for the 3-door 308 1.4-litre S. The 1.6-litre 120bhp petrol starts at €26,095 and the 1.6-litre 150bhp starts at €29,577. The 1.6-litre 90bhp HDi starts at €23,425, with the 110bhp version offered from €27,700. Sadly, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is not available on volume versions of the 308 and is a pricey €1,400 option on the SV and SX models and only standard on the GT. The reason given for this is that our ST version is a modified version of the SE version and that ESP is a "price issue". ESP is a €500 option on the Ford Focus, but will be standard when a new model launches in 2008. It's an €842 option on all VW Golf models.
The arrival of a new 207SW, the replacement for the 206SW, is big news to a very small number of buyers. The market for small estates here is tiny, but for anyone seeking this sort of car, then it will suit perfectly. Starting at €17,475, there is only one engine option, the 1.4-litre 75bhp petrol, with three trim levels of S, SE and ST. The SE version will cost €18,080, with the ST costing €18,780. Standard equipment includes driver, passenger and side airbags, SE gets rear head restraints, electric door mirrors, and ST gets a panoramic glass roof and roof bars. Only a special order SX model, which has no price yet, gets air conditioning. The main benefit will be the 428 litres of boot space, expanded to 1,433 litres with the seats folded flat.
Finally, the 4007, Peugeot's SUV created in co-operation with Mitsubishi Motors, goes on sale with limited supply initially. Prices start at €40,200 for the 5-seat SR spec and climbs to €47,395 for the SV version. The 4007 is powered by a 2.2-litre HDi diesel engine putting out 156bhp with a six-speed manual gearbox. All models come with ESP, ABS and EBD, on-demand four-wheel drive, climate control and cruise control.