Even if little by little, the tastes of Chinese motorists are getting closer to those of Europeans, there are still some local particularities. The Peugeot 408, a 4-door sedan derived from the old 308, is one of them. But for the sake of economy, the recipe adapts. Explanations
In Europe, Peugeot’s product plan is very clear, the 308 family will have three silhouettes. The P51 project, in other words the Peugeot 308 5-door sedan of the third generation, the P52 project, i.e. the estate version logically named Peugeot 308 SW and finally, the P54 project, a rugged crossover sedan will join the range in the spring of 2023. Nothing more !
TO READ. Peugeot 408 Crossover (2023). The first images of the 308 SUV Coupé
408: a “new” 308 with boot in China!
In China, there will always be a variant dedicated to local customers: the Peugeot 408 which is none other than a 308 with 4 doors.. A saloon with a three-box silhouette whose stern is characterized by a trunk. It was Dongfeng, Peugeot’s “imposed” partner who developed it. According to our colleagues on the site autohome.com.cn, the internal vehicle code would be T93RR.
“Peugeot stylists have affixed the skin of the new European 308 to the Chinese 408 at the front “
This then means that it would not be a derivative of the new third generation Peugeot 308, but more of a “reskin” to use the jargon of the designers: a new skin adapted to an existing vehicle.
TO READ. Peugeot news. The secret calendar until 2026
408 and 508 L: Peugeot’s chinoiseries
Remember that in the Middle Kingdom, buyers are still loyal to traditional sedans which are considered more statutory than hatchbacks. In the local Peugeot range, there were up to four of them.
At the entry level, there was the Peugeot 301 (4.44 m), just above, the Peugeot 308 Sedan, sold from 2016 to 2020, 4.59 m long, the Peugeot 408 (4.75 m) replaced soon and the Peugeot 508 L. The latter is a 12 cm stretched variant of the 508 we have in Europe, which brings its size to 4.86 m. The 508 L also swaps the tailgate for a trunk like the DS 9, with which it shares its underbody. Currently, only the Peugeot 408 and 508 L are still on sale in China.
TO READ. Peugeot 308 (2021). The ones you will never see on the street!