Peugeot will show the next-generation 308 compact on March 18, executives said at the unveiling of the brand's new logo.
Peugeot has not released any details about the coming 308, but it is expected to be built on the EMP2 platform developed by PSA Group for compact and midsize cars. That would allow for gasoline, diesel and plug-in hybrid versions. However, the new Citroen C4 compact hatchback is built on the smaller CMP platform, which includes a full-electric option.
Recent spy photos of camouflaged test cars showed a station wagon variant. The 308 is also expected to share underpinnings with the next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Astra compact car.
The new emblem – a white-on-black stylized lion's head inside a shield – recalls Peugeot's logo from the early 1960s. The current logo dates to 2010.
CEO Linda Jackson, who had led Citroen, Peugeot's sister brand, from 2014 to 2020, made her public debut as head of Peugeot at the online event Thursday. She said Peugeot had successfully moved upmarket in the past decade and was now a "high end generalist brand."
"The current logo needed to change to crown the brand's move upmarket," Peugeot said in a news release.
A rendering of Peugeot's new brand identity at a dealer showroom. International expansion Jackson said one of her goals is to expand Peugeot outside of Europe, citing the Landtrek one-ton pickup as a "major opportunity." She did not address the question of whether Peugeot would re-enter the North American market, a strategy at Europe-dependent PSA before the merger with Fiat Chrysler to create Stellantis.
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The 308 ranked No. 6 in the compact segment in 2020 with 89,644 sales, a decline of 41 percent, according to data from JATO Dynamics. The Volkswagen Golf led the segment with 283,651 sales, a 31 percent decline.
The segment fell to third place overall in Europe, with 1,723,367 sales, a 22 percent decline, according to JATO figures. The small SUV/crossover segments overtook compacts to finish second, with 1,725,984 sales, an 18 percent drop. The small car segment led Europe with 2,029,376 sales, a 25 percent slide.
Presentazione della 308 il 18 marzo, sarà il primo modello con il nuovo logo.
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