Peugeot’s strategy of offering fully electric versions of models in the same range alongside traditional internal combustion engined variants will help it be ready for the UK’s proposed 2032 ban on the sale of non-electric cars.
That’s according to boss Jean-Philippe Imparato, who says that such a deadline means you are “opening a race for the road to zero emissions far, far, far quicker than 2032” and in reality “it means 2030” if you are to be prepared and ready as a business to meet that deadline.
The new Peugeot 208 and Peugeot 2008 have both launched with petrol, diesel and electric versions, and the larger Peugeot 3008, Peugeot 5008 and Peugeot 508 with plug-in hybrid versions alongside internal combustion engined variants. This strategy, rather than offering bespoke electric cars, makes it “far easier and simpler for customers to explain electric cars to customers”. He added: “You choose the car and then you choose the powertrain.”
The UK’s stance is much stricter than in the EU, which has presently mandated that CO2 levels must come down by a further 37.5% by 2030. But Imparato believes that with the current environmental climate “I bet you that will become 50%”. He added: “If it’s 50%, it will be the end of the story for the internal combustion engine and we must be prepared.”
That will mean hybrids will be allowed to remain on sale in Europe but sale of fully electric cars will still dominate, making the EU and UK much more closely aligned than the UK’s headline 2032 ban figure might mean.
“This means that the next generation 208 will be a fully EV, obviously,” said Imparato. “The new 208 allows me to prepare in a smooth, simple way to this situation. It would be very disruptive and brutal to cut full ICE cars now for both the customer and the network.”
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