Commercial flop, the Peugeot 408 discounted by 6000 euros

Despite its dynamic design, the somewhat “mongrel” positioning of the Peugeot 408 makes it challenging.

It is neither a sedan, nor an SUV, a crossover, or a station wagon. The Peugeot 408 aimed to be a bit of everything, given that sedans are no longer appealing and SUVs have become astonishingly commonplace.

Rare on the streets, its presence is not unpleasant, but customers are hesitant. When buying a Peugeot, they want to stay within the lines and take no risks regarding resale. And for a Lion badge priced over 35,000 euros, the pool of buyers shrinks dangerously. So much so that today, after two years in existence, the Peugeot 408 is offering huge discounts at dealerships. This displeases the big boss, Carlos Tavares, who has built his entire strategy for the recovery of the Stellantis group on higher margins.

Over 6000 euros in discounts

Thus, the Peugeot Store online is going all out to make space in its inventories, with discounts often exceeding 6000 euros depending on the trims. The starting price of the Peugeot 408 thus drops to 32,590 euros for the Allure trim.

The engine is the 1.2-liter Puretech block with 130 horsepower, a strong 3-cylinder turbo but not always guaranteed in reliability. This is also one of the difficult legacies for some gasoline models of the Stellantis group, even if the issues have now been resolved.

Finally, note that with CO2 emissions of 136 g/km, the ecological penalty for this 100% thermal Peugeot 408 is set at 650 euros in 2024. Therefore, for an additional 2500 euros, it is now possible to switch to a 100% electric Renault Scenic whose operating costs will be significantly lower.

Proof that despite promotions, the outlook remains bleak for this Peugeot 408, which has not been rewarded for its boldness.

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