4 million sales last year a total market of 13

Peugeot 407 exits through the back door, but she has found a worthy successor with the 508, which will be marketed starting in the month next in France. "It clears everything and again," seems to be itself the mark of the lion, who prepared his new model (version sedan and break) on much more consensus than the previous bases.

In closing the gaping mouth under the hood of the 407, the 508 wants to impose "the evolution of the stylistic codes" of the company, as House. Launched in 2004, 407 sedan and its break with their singular proportions and their livability fortchiche derivative, have experienced a difficult career, registering only 860,000 cumulative sales in little more than six years. In Europe, the car finished fifteenth of its segment the last year, far behind the German Audi A4 and VW Passat, BMW 3 series. And in France, the launch of the Citroen C5 has dealt a fatal blow.

"The 508 allows us to affirm our presence on the main road, one of our historic territories segment," said Xavier Peugeot, Director of marketing and communication of Automobiles Peugeot. The problem on the Continent, and even with the rise in power versions breaks, said segment "m2" is pronounced decline: it fell to 1.4 million sales last year, a total market of 13.8 million.

To compensate for this settlement, Peugeot has therefore not hesitate to program also, for the first time, the manufacture and distribution of its 508 in China as early as next July. This strategic market, sales of sedans M2 were instead multiplied by 2.6 in five years. And there represent 23 of the total purchases of cars, against 10 in France.

With this new opportunity and other targets such as the Russia, the brand hopes to deliver the 508 best 120,000 this year, and 200,000 per year from 2012, the first full year. Of this total, China would be according to Peugeot 65,000 units (without declination break), and the France at least 20,000.

Corporate fleets

In France, "the ambition is to become the leader of the segment," adds Marc Giulioli, Director of marketing for the France. In clear, dethrone the formidable cousin Citroën C5, which now shares its wheelbase, its platform and its engines with the newcomer 508. Two large sedans, aimed both fleets of corporate priority, also share the same line of mounting in the seriously revamped PSA in Rennes plant for the occasion. Breton site plans to achieve 600 copies of the 508 per day, in addition to the 300 dailies programmed in Wuhan (China).

As the car is longer 9 cm to the 407, it replaces also, by the force of things, the large 607, ex-fleuron from the top of range of the lion, whose manufacture is now stopped.

Its price is "in the heart of the segment", which is included in a range of 37.800 22.900 euros. In the Renault clan, it can be found on the road two different competitors: the current Laguna, shorter, and the somewhat greater Latitude new, imported, it South Korea.