Peugeot 408 Sedan Production Begins in South America

Following on from the launch and the start of production of the new 408 sedan in China earlier this year, Peugeot announced on Monday that it has begun building the compact saloon at the PSA Peugeot Citroën Palomar factory, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Not to be confused with the larger 508, the VW Jetta-sized 408 is the sedan variant of the Peugeot 308 family which includes hatchback, station wagon and coupe-convertible body styles.

The 408 will have its South American premiere at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil at the end of October. Aside from Argentina and Brazil, the compact sedan will also go on sale in 25 other Latin American countries.

Peugeot did not release any information on the powertrain options for the South American spec model. In China, the 408 is offered with a choice of 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter gasoline engines producing 106HP and 147HP respectively.

New Peugeot 308 GTi Reaches the UK as the 308 GT THP 200

The Golf GTI-rivaling Peugeot 308 GTi has arrived in the UK badged as the 308 GT THP 200. Available only as a five-door model, the hot hatch goes on sale in Britain this month, priced at £21,995 OTR. In comparison, VW's 210HP Golf GTI with a 6-speed manual starts from £24,295 (3d) / £24,880 (5d).

Powered by Peugeot's 1.6-liter turbocharged 200-horsepower THP petrol engine mated to a six-speed gearbox, the new 308 GT THP 200 can get from 0-62mph [100km/h] in 7.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 140mph [225km/h].

It s CO2 emissions are rated at 159g/km, while the combined fuel economy is 41mpg UK, equal to 34.1mpg US and 6.9lt/100km.

The sportiest variant of the 308 family gets a revised suspension and steering wheel system as well as beefier brakes and 18-inch alloy wheels shod in 225/40 R18 tires.

There's also a number of -relatively discreet- styling features that set it apart from the standard 308s including a bright black carbon-style insert under the front bumper lower skirt, a roof spoiler, rear diffuser and twin chrome exhaust pipes.

Inside, there are sports seats, aluminium pedals, footrest and gear lever knob, a leather sports steering wheel with aluminium detailing and a black lacquer fascia front panel.

The new Peugeot 308 GT THP 200 is available in the UK in six different exterior body colours - Bianca White, Nera Black, Aluminium, Shark Grey, Ipanema Blue and Babylon Red, all combined with Payerne black half leather interior trim.

Peugeot Adds Six-Speed Auto Option to 308 CC 1.6 Turbo with 156HP

About a week after the announcement on the availability of a new 1.6-liter turbo diesel with 112HP on the 308 CC, Peugeot is further expanding the UK range of its coupe-convertible model with the launch of a new model that combines the 156HP 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with a new six-speed automatic transmission.

The new model will replace the 308 CC with the 140-horsepower strong 1.6-liter Turbo and the outdated 4-speed automatic gearbox.

The more powerful engine and the new transmission significantly improve the 308 CC's performance figures with the sprint from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) now taking 9.8 seconds instead of 12.4 seconds and the 0-1,000m in 31 seconds instead of the 140HP model's 33.5 seconds.

Similarly, the new automatic version of the hardtop convertible reaches a higher top speed of 211 km/h or 131mph, up from 204km/h or 127mph.

Despite the power increase and the improved acceleration numbers, the new 308 CC Automatic is more frugal than its predecessor returning a combined economy figure of 36.6mpg UK or 7.7 lt/100km (140HP Auto: 34.8mpg or 8.1 lt/100km).

The 308 CC THP 156HP Automatic is on sale now in the UK with prices starting from £23,595 on-the-road. Unlike the outgoing THP 140 automatic model which was only available in SE trim level, the new model is available in both SE and GT trim levels.

New Peugeot 408 Sedan Breaks Cover in China

French carmaker Peugeot took the wraps off its new China-made 408 sedan in Beijing on Monday. Despite its name, the 408 is not a successor to the European 407, which is also available in China, but a long-wheelbase (+100mm), sedan version of Peugeot's 308 range that includes three and five-door hatchback, coupe-convertible and station wagon models.

Designed and developed jointly by Peugeot's Styling teams in Europe and China, the 408 is the fruit of work by the joint venture set up between PSA Peugeot Citroen and the Chinese group DFM.

The 408 measures 4.68 meters in length, 1.81 meter in width and has a wheelbase of 2.71 meters, meaning it's roughly the same size as the 407 sedan (4.69m, 1.81m and 2.72m respectively).

At launch, the 408 sedan will be available in China with a choice of 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter gasoline engines producing 106HP and 147HP respectively.

The sedan is being produced at the Wuhan plant in Hubei province in China with Peugeot expecting full-year sales target of 100,000 units.