Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
    • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Geneva Auto Show
March 07, 2018 12:00 AM

Peugeot 508 expected to give PSA a boost in Europe and China

Peter Sigal
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Share
    Share
    Share
    Share
    Share
    Share
    Share

    GENEVA — PSA Group expects the new Peugeot 508 midsize sedan to give the automaker a sales boost in Europe and help the company turn around its struggling operations in China, where sedans remain the biggest segment in the world’s largest auto market.

    The 508 may be entering a declining segment in Europe, but Peugeot CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato says the category remains profitable.

    "The D sedan (midsize) mainstream profit the pool is first or second most profitable in the world,” he said at the auto show here. "Europe is one thing, but my strategy is also to be good outside Europe.”

    Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the 508 is its fastback rear that is a departure from the outgoing conventional sedan.

    The “two-and-a-half-box design,” was a pragmatic decision, said Gilles Vidal, Peugeot's design boss."Because we wanted a more dynamic looking car, we went with a fastback,” he said. "If we would have made a normal trunk, the opening would have been too small. Having a hatchback has made the car super practical.”

    Inside, the 508 has Peugeot’s I-Cockpit, with a smaller steering wheel that offers an unobstructed view of the instrument panel, and piano-keylike toggle switches that operate the infotainment screen.

    The 508 will be available first in a limited edition, in colors that Peugeot calls Dark Blue and Ultimate Red. Powertrain choices are a 225-hp gasoline engine or a 180-hp diesel with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The first 508s will be delivered this autumn, and a station wagon version will be displayed at the Paris show in September.

    According to JATO Dynamics, European sales in the midsize sedan segment fell 12.4 percent in 2017, to 564,249 from 643,976. At the same time, sales in JATO’s broad compact SUV/crossover segment, which includes smaller models such as the Peugeot 3008 and larger ones like the 5008, rose by 34 percent to almost 2 million units.

    Last year, Peugeot sold 22,791 units of the 508 in Europe, JATO reported, as production was tapered off, in comparison with 37,440 in 2016, a 39 percent decline. The Volkswagen Passat leads the segment by a wide margin, with 184,655 units sold in 2017, a 12 percent decline from 2016. The Passat’s Volkswagen Group sibling, the Skoda Superb, is in second with 83,142 sales in 2017, followed by the Insignia from new PSA acquisition Opel/Vauxhall, at 73,052.

    Production forecasts from IHS Markit show that PSA expects the 508 to be a strong competitor to the Superb and Insignia. IHS predicts that PSA will build a total of about 35,000 508s this year once production starts in Europe and China.

    Output is expected to peak in 2019 at 96,300 units, with 83,000 made in Europe and the rest in China. In comparison, PSA sold about 131,650 of the previous generation 508s in 2011, with 115,000 in Europe and the rest in China.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Geneva show cancelled as organizers trade snow for sand
    Related Articles
    Peugeot 508
    Recommended for You
    Geneva show 2020
    Geneva show cancelled as organizers trade snow for sand
    Geneva show postponed until 2023
    Geneva show postponed until 2023
    Geneva show 2020
    Geneva show will keep cars as main focus
    Capgemini Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    Sponsored Content: Capgemini Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
        • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us