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NEWS
Peugeot spends up on 208
New 208 the subject of Peugeot Australia's biggest ever marketing spendPeugeot Automobiles Australia will support the introduction of the all-new 208 with its biggest ever marketing spend and a ground-breaking new finance package.
Launched this week ahead of its official release on October 8, the replacement for Peugeot’s smallest model will be backed by a $2 million advertising budget that will result in the most extensive TV, digital and billboard campaign yet seen from the French brand here. Combined with the recent advertising campaign for its new Mitsubishi ASX-based 4008 compact crossover and other marketing activities, the 208 strategy will see Peugeot Australia set a new spending record in the second half of this year.
In addition, Peugeot will announce an innovative new low-interest finance offer exclusively for the 208 at Sydney motor show in three weeks.
“It will be a finance plan that you currently see only on high-level Euros,” said Peugeot Automobiles Australia Director Bill Gillespie. “We’ll be the first car company in Australia to launch such a finance plan on a car at this level. We’ll give you the full details at the show, but it’s going to be a really great finance program that, combined with our capped-price service plan, will directly target younger buyers.”
Peugeot is currently offering 3.08 per cent finance for its 308, but Mr Gillespie said it would not match the attractive finance plans currently offered by its direct rivals - including Renault, which now offers zero per cent finance for its Megane, Koleos and Latitude models.
“No we’re not going to do that,” he said. “It’s not a race to the bottom, although it looks like it is. What we’re looking at with this car is a new finance plan that we’ll launch at the motor show, so you’ll have to wait for details.”
As we’ve reported, the 208 will become available from next month in both three- and five-door body styles, powered by 1.2, 1.6 and 1.6-litre turbo petrol engines and priced from $18,490 plus ORCs. The entry-level 1.2 is a manual-only five-door model, with the three-door body derivative reserved for the top-shelf Allure Sport turbo ($26,490).
Peugeot 208 Product Manager Angela Bray said an even cheaper 1.2 three-door was available from the factory, but the Australian distributor chose to make the three-door a turbo-only model.
“To start with what we’ve decided to do is reserve the three-door exclusively for the performance model,” she said. “We think that the three-door model matches the sporty nature of the 1.6 turbo. We could bring one to market, but we’ve decided not to at this point.”
A five-speed automated manual EGC transmission – fitted as standard with a fuel-saving idle-stop function - will become available for the 208 1.2 here by mid-2013. The naturally aspirated 1.6-litre 208 models are available with an automatic transmission comprising just four ratios.
A 147kW GTi hot-hatch will top the 208 range around next June and, while the luxury-oriented 208 XY remains under consideration locally, the 208 will also become available next year with an automatic parking system. However, ruled out for the new 208 model family are replacements for the 207 CC convertible and 207 Touring wagon. Stocks of both current models will disappear from local showrooms by next April.
Peugeot said a diesel version of the 208 will not be forthcoming in Australia, because the oil-burners comprise just two per cent of the light-car market in Australia. It has forecast 1800 annual 208 sales – at least 300 more than the number of 207s sold here last year – and expects three-door models to comprise 20 per cent of 208 sales once the GTi arrives next year, with five-door models commanding a dominant 80 per cent.
The 207 was Peugeot’s only segment leader last year, when it was Australia’s top-selling premium light car. Combined with the 206 that precedes it, the 207 found more than 25,000 Australian homes.
Peugeot hopes that on top of a 25 per cent sales lift in August, three months of 208 sales will see it finish 2012 with a 10 per cent sales increase on 2011, when it sold 5220 vehicles – down 7.6 per cent. To August, Peugeot sales are down more than five per cent, with all models except the 4007, the new 4008 and 508 in sales decline.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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