Peugeot considering 5008 for Australia

2010 will be a busy year for the local arm of Peugeot. The company is planning to introduce the 3008, 4007 and the RCZ to the Aussie market. That's a lot of new models in just one year, for one of the smaller importers around.

So the 5008 people mover unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show last week is a back-burner prospect for the moment. Based on Citroen's C4 Picasso, the 5008 provides larger internal packaging than the 3008 due here early next year.

"At this stage, we're not sure," says Peugeot's local Promotions and Events Manager, Mark McCartney as to whether the 5008 will get a run here.

"We're in the processing of evaluating its suitability for this market -- does the market need a new people mover, and all that sort of thing..."

According to McCartney, a decision in favour of importing the 5008 here rests on how the local market performs for the remainder of 2009.

"We're probably not going to make a decision any time this year, basically because we'd be trying to evaluate where the market is by the end of the year and how the market's reacting... whether we see a pick-up. Obviously if we see a pick-up, then we might be in a better position to look at a new model."

Presumably too, Peugeot will be basing their sums on how the C4 Picasso has fared in recent times and that's possibly troubling for Peugeot. In year-to-date VFACTS figures, the Citroen has sold just 93 units, compared with 213 for the same period last year.

The Citroen is currently outsold in the market segment by most vehicles other than the Mercedes-Benz Vito wagon, the Renault Grand Scenic and the Ssangyong Stavic. In many cases, the Citroen is beaten in the market by competitors that are either more expensive or less capable -- and occasionally both.

But the temptation's there for Peugeot to introduce the 5008 here, given it's an alternative for those who need a vehicle that is a larger package than the 308 Touring with its third-row seat option.

"With 5008, it's got all the versatility of a 308 Touring, but more space -- so that's something that appeals to us," says McCartney.

"I personally like the look of 5008 -- I'd love to have it here -- but obviously we need to make a business case for it."

With a firm decision still some months away, at the earliest, McCartney was not in a position to discuss possible specifications and pricing for the 5008, but was quick to pour cold water on the 1.6-litre variants arriving here.

"We try and take the upper echelons of the Peugeot range," he explained.

"We obviously don't take any of the budget-beaters that they bring in. We tend to try and spec things as high as we can."

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi