Next year, Peugeot will have a total of 24 electrified options on sale, as part of a push led by models such as the new Peugeot 408 and the updated e-208, but also extending to two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.
Even so, the all-new 408 stands out as one of the clearest symbols of the French brand’s new chapter, underpinned by an ambition to sell only 100% electric cars in Europe from 2030.
From day one, the new Peugeot 408 is built around electrification, launching with two plug-in hybrid powertrains. A fully electric variant has already been confirmed too, and it will be called the e-408.
On top of that, it arrives with a body shape designed to challenge convention, blending cues typically associated with saloons and SUVs, while also borrowing from coupés. The end result is what Peugeot in Sochaux describes as a fastback, notable for its sporty lines and a tough, robust stance.
It is therefore no surprise that the 408 is currently Peugeot’s spearhead for the European market, something made unmistakably clear at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Anyone walking into Hall 4 of the Mondial de L’Auto is immediately met by a huge sphere with a Peugeot 408 displayed inside-effectively an art installation.
Against that backdrop, we sat down with Jerôme Micheron, Peugeot’s Product Director, to discuss expectations for the new 408, the kind of customer it is aimed at, Peugeot’s electrification strategy, and even the brand’s decision to step away from the city-car segment.
“Peugeot 408 expresses the brand’s values”
Razão Automóvel (RA) - Let’s start with the 408, which is Peugeot’s star of the show. In essence, it kicks off a trend of mixing segments and body styles. How important is this car?
Jerôme Micheron (JM) - First of all, this car matters a great deal in terms of the brand’s positioning, because it genuinely manages to convey what the brand stands for. We say we want to be an inventive brand, and when you see the 408 you understand that we can be bold, daring and innovative. This car shows exactly what we want to do. That’s why it is so important.
We will see what the sales volume will be; we have high expectations for the 408. But it really does embody the brand’s values. We talk a lot about the term Allure (elegant, appealing) and the fact that we want a bold design, and that is crucial for us. As for trends, this car currently has no direct competitors.
We are constantly asked about rivals and who we want to target, and for us the best answer is to talk about customers. Because when we developed this vehicle and defined its position, we had several customer profiles in mind, and the first is someone who has been driving various SUVs.
RA: Who will buy the 408?
JM - One of the strengths of SUVs is that they are the most modern cars you can buy. So the 408’s design will appeal to SUV buyers, because they know the car is also expressing their personality. That is essential.
The car also brings a feeling of protection that you get with SUVs, thanks to the large wheels and the more elevated seating position. The car recaptures that and blends it with trends towards greater refinement, improved aerodynamics and higher efficiency. For us, it is a new direction.
RA: Is this something we’ll see in other segments? Could we expect, for example, a similar solution based on the 2008?
JM - I can’t tell you what we are going to do in the future. What I can say is that, looking at the brand’s positioning and what we want to achieve, we will be innovative. That means we will combine and reinvent certain segments.
So in the future you will have some surprises when it comes to new body styles-strong in design and not exactly the norm. That is what we are doing.
RA - Can we say the 408 is the most “Peugeot” model today?
JM - It is the newest one and, by definition, the newest has the best of what we are developing. So, for design, the answer is “yes”.
But there is also the interior, which remains consistent. When you look at Peugeot’s i-cockpit, which is something unique, we show evolutions with every new product we launch. That is also part of what makes it “the newest”. Yet you can clearly see it aligns with what we have been doing over recent years.
RA - Does the Peugeot 408 have the potential to sell more than the 308?
JM - That is very hard to say. Today the 308 is very well established in the market: we have more than 100 thousand orders and the car is top 3 in Europe. The question is: what will the trend be?
When we think about the 408 customer today, as I said at the start, we have people coming from SUVs, people coming from C-segment hatchbacks or estate cars, and also some coming from the D segment.
So it is genuinely difficult to forecast. But we ran tests with some customers and we are very confident about the vehicle’s potential. We could be pleasantly surprised in terms of sales volume.
After the 508 PSE, a 408 PSE?
RA - Still on the 408, should we expect a PSE (Peugeot Sport Engineered) version?
JM - That is an excellent question. We have studied different options for PSE models, but we have just announced that we are moving very quickly towards electrifying the range, with the e-308 and the e-308 Station Wagon, and we have already announced there will be an e-408. So we decided to allocate investment to get every electrified model on the market as quickly as possible.
Sportier versions are difficult today because volumes are very low and there are CO₂ targets everywhere, so it is complicated to justify performance derivatives. And because this is a race to bring electric offerings to market, we decided to have them across the whole line-up. We are now announcing that in 2023 we will have at least one electric version in every model. That was the decision we made.
100% electrified range
RA - That is the brand’s focus right now, and Peugeot currently has one of the biggest electrified selections on the market, with a genuinely complete catalogue. Can we say Peugeot is in the best shape it has ever been?
JM - The line-up is in very good shape because it is extremely modern. We have electric vehicles, we have plug-in hybrids. We are very happy with our catalogue.
RA - Do you see any future for passenger cars using hydrogen fuel-cell technology?
JM - We are starting with cargo vans because you need space to install the entire fuel-cell system. The plan at the moment is more focused on cargo vans. But we will see. Right now, the priority is battery-electric passenger cars.
City cars
RA - And the A segment, the city cars. Are there any plans for a new 108?
JM - No. We made our choice because the volume has fallen. If you go back six or seven years, when CO₂ emissions were much higher than they are now, you could have a fairly cheap car without any electrification technology. Now, if you want an A-segment model, you need it to be hybrid or electric. And when you do the maths, the volume is getting lower and lower.
RA - It doesn’t make sense to have an A-segment model costing almost the same as a B-segment car… is that it?
JM - Yes, that is not rational. That’s why we are focusing on our range. We want to bring all the technology into our line-up-both for electrification and for infotainment. That is where we are investing.
RA - But if you’ll allow me, it’s a shame, because Peugeot has a huge tradition in the small city-car segment…
JM - Yes, but as you said, the difference between the A segment and the B segment-if you have to meet CO₂ emissions requirements-is actually very small.
Peugeot 9X8, a design laboratory
RA - Shifting focus to the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar (which also appeared in Paris), how important is it to have a car like this in competition and to have models with hybrid technology on the road? That helps build an image, doesn’t it?
JM - Yes, it’s clearly about image, but also about impact. It matters for overall development because knowing how to develop a hybrid at this performance level is fundamental. But it is also a design laboratory.
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