Peugeot promises to be EV leader in Europe as it reveals new 3008

Within two years Peugeot is promising to offer the widest range of electric cars available from any mainstream brand in Europe. It’s a big promise from the French brand, which has set out its EV stall with the new all-electric version of its best-selling 3008. With fastback looks that hope to move away from the universal boxy styling of SUV crossovers, the new e-3008 also claims to deliver up to 700km in range from a single charge.

Speaking during a visit to Dublin to open the new headquarters for its Irish distributor Gowan Motors, the car giant’s chief executive Linda Jackson said: “The launch of the Next-Level E-3008 is a major step in PEUGEOT’s radical transformation into an alluring 100% electric brand that sets new benchmarks for design, driving pleasure and efficiency.”

The first model to be built on the new STLA mid-sized platform that will underpin several others models within the Stellantis Group, which owns Peugeot, the new EV will arrive in showrooms from February next year. Prices have yet to be confirmed.

As the brand’s big seller, the importance of the 3008 cannot be overstated. And while it will also be offered in hybrid format later, the fact Peugeot is opening with the EV version is a statement in itself. Compare this to the launch of the larger 408, where we are still waiting for the arrival of its all-electric variant.

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Peugeot has won critical acclaim for opting to break away from the omnipresent crossover format, and the fastback styling of the 408 has gone down well. That bodes well for the evolutionary look of the new 3008. The French car brand has also been praised for its “i-cockpit” interior and the way it is incorporating the increasingly complex technologies and touchscreens. This continues on the 3008. Peugeot says the battery pack can take a charge of 11kW or 22kW three-phase on AC, and up to 160kW on superfast DC chargers.

A new 21-inch panoramic display is combined with a heads-up display.

In terms of power, the e-3008 will come in two-wheel drive with a single motor and 73kWh battery, with an output of 210bhp and a range of 525km. Initially, the 3008′s battery will be supplied by FinDreams, a unit of China’s BYD, until a gigafactory run by ACC - owned by Stellantis, TotalEnergies and Mercedes - goes into production.

A dual motor four-wheel drive version will deliver the same range with the same battery pack but will put out 320bhp, while a long range version with a 98kWh battery will put out 230bhp in two-wheel drive format and deliver the publicised 700km range.

“The 3008 was a gamechanger when it first came out. People bought a 3008 and it happened to be a Peugeot. What I’m trying to do now is that people buy a Peugeot and they opt for a 3008. That means the brand identity needs to be ultra-focussed and very clear on what it’s offering customers.”

The task now, says Jackson, is to move the car buyer mindset from purchasing cars that happen to be Peugeots into purchasing Peugeot cars. It’s a subtle difference, but one that is crucial in an industry where she reckons brand identity is becoming vitally important.

“Brands are much more important today than a single model,” says Jackson.

“What is Peugeot about?” asks Jackson. “We have come up with a one-word explanation: Allure, which is powerful attraction and excitement. The two most reasons why customers buy a Peugeot, whether it be in Australia, Ireland or Mexico, the first one is exterior design, the second is interior design and i-cockpit.”

Nearly two years into the Peugeot job, Jackson looks set to repeat the successful repositioning she carried out at sister brand Citroen during her six years behind the wheel. There, she transformed the chevron brand into a design-led family car provider focusing on comfort. In shorthand it aimed to deliver funky-looking mobile living rooms, with a focus on smart materials and supple suspension.

At Peugeot the focus is more on quasi-premium sportiness, specifically targeting the Volkswagen brand. Her focus now is on getting people to appreciate the brand as much as the cars.

Peugeot is to follow other brands in the Stellantis Group in opting for the agency sales model, which means direct selling by the manufacturer, with dealerships paid a fixed delivery or handover fee.

The details of how this will work for dealers – and distributors such as Gowan Motors - have yet to be ironed out, but Jackson is certain that physical showrooms and sales staff have a long-term future.

“We all do our research online and the basic details, but I still believe in the physical experience of the sale, which is touching, feeling the product and talking to someone in person who really knows the brand. People talk about everyone buying cars completely online by 2030; I personally don’t believe that. I think it is the mix between the physical and digital experience that will win.”

Jackson was in Ireland to open Gowan Auto’s new €30 million distribution centre in Citywest, Co Dublin.

The new Distribution Centre, which employs 130 staff, encompasses a new warehouse, office space, training academy and marketing showroom.

Gowan Auto is the Irish distributor of Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Honda, Jeep, Opel and Peugeot in the Republic of Ireland. It works with 150 dealerships and accounts for almost 10 per cent of new passenger car registrations, and almost 25 per cent of new light commercial vehicle registrations in Ireland last year.