Peugeot’s 4 new cars for India to rival Swift, Baleno, Creta & Tucson

French car manufacturer Peugeot is preparing for its second innings in the Indian market. About 14 years after its exit from the Indian market, Peugeot marked its entry in India by doing bhoomi pooja for its planned factory at Sanand in Gujarat. Now, the company has revealed the plans for its Indian journey.

What will be the cars?

Peugeot will bring four cars to start the Indian operations. The vehicles will be assembled in India initially. Some of the vehicles will come as Completely Built Units (CBU). Peugeot cars have been seen testing in India since 2012. All the Peugeot vehicles will comply with Euro VI norms, which are similar to BS VI norms. Here are the four cars that are scheduled to be launched in India.

208

The 208 will be the first car that will enter the Indian market. The hatchback has been caught testing numerous times on Indian roads. The five-door hatchback will compete against sub 4-metre hatchbacks like Maruti Swift and Hyundai Grand i10 in the market. The Peugeot 208 made its global debut in 2012 and the car spotted testing in India is a facelift version of that vehicle. The car measures 3,962mm, which is sub 4-metre and is little larger than the Maruti Swift.

In the international market, Peugeot 208 sells with three engine options, but in India the car will be offered with a 1.2-litre petrol engine. The naturally aspirated engine produces a maximum power of 81 Bhp. Internationally, the 208 comes with a 1.6-litre diesel, which may not come to India. Peugeot will offer both manual and automatic transmission with the 208. The car will also get 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

308

The 308 will be the premium hatchback in the Indian market. The hatchback measures 4.2-metres and will compete against vehicles like Maruti Baleno and Hyundai Elite i20 in the Indian market. The car will be assembled in India.

The 308 comes with spacious interiors and has a boot space of 470 litres, which can be expanded to 1,309 litres. The 308 looks futuristic and comes with features like DRLs, flat-bottom steering wheel, touch-screen infotainment and more. Peugeot revealed the all-new model in the international market earlier this year but did not reveal the specifications. The car is likely to get 1.6-litre diesel and the retuned version of the 1.2-litre petrol.

2008

The Peugeot 2008 will be the entry-level SUV from the French brand. The SUV will take on the Hyundai Creta in the Indian market. Peugeot 2008 is due for an update, and the new model will be unveiled next year. The updated model is expected in India too.

The car will be assembled in India. The car will get a turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine that generates a maximum power of 130 Bhp. The 1.6-litre diesel engine will also be an option with the new car. It has a maximum power output of 98 Bhp to 119 Bhp, and the Indian spec has not been revealed yet. The 2008 will also get premium features like heated ORVMs, tyre pressure monitoring system, ESP with Hill Assist and 6 airbags.

3008

The 3008 will be the top-of-the-line Peugeot vehicle in India. The car will compete against the Tucson but will come as CBU in India. Peugeot revealed the all-new version of the 3008 in the international market earlier this year, and the car has already won a few awards.

The 3008 will be powered by the same engines that power the 2008. It will be available only in 2WD configuration but will get Grip feature which allows the driver to select different terrains such as sand, snow and mud through a rotary knob. It will arrive at a later date.

The re-entry

The Peugeot Société Anonyme (PSA) group had earlier signed an agreement with CK Birla Group to enter the Indian market in 2020. Peugeot has shelved the plan of building a manufacturing plant in Sanand and is eyeing the Hindustan Motor’s manufacturing facility in Chennai. The CK Birla Group, which owns the HM brand in India, sold off the rights to name “Ambassador” to Peugeot earlier this year.

The plant, which was earlier used by Isuzu for kick-starting its Indian operations, is at present underutilised. PSA’s initial CKD models will be based on the Peugeot’s Common Modular Platform. As per the deal, PSA will bear two-thirds of the cost of preparing the assembly line, which is around Rs 700 crore. The rest will be borne by the CK Birla group.

Indian sales and service network

PSA and CK Birla Group will have a subsidiary in India — Hindustan Motor Finance Corporation Limited, which will be majorly controlled by PSA. The subsidiary will be responsible for forming the sales and service network. CK Birla Group also played an important role in setting up dealers for Mitsubishi and HM in India which will helped the brand to set-up new dealerships.

A PSA spokesperson said that their Indian strategy is “Be Indian in India”, adding that they will not export cars to foreign markets. However, Avtec, a subsidiary of CK Birla and PSA will manufacture powertrains to export at a later stage.