Peugeot has completed two years of presence in Pakistan. The company shared the jubilation on its social handles as its first & lone offering in Pakistan— the Peugeot 2008 was formally launched in March 2022.
Peugeot, which is a member of the Stellantis family, was pulled in by Lucky Motor Corporation(LMC) who are also tied with Kia. Both Peugeot and Kia vehicles are assembled in Pakistan in LMC’s plant located in Karachi. Initially, the company was supposed to introduce a range of vehicles including the 3008, and 5008 models too, but so far only 2008 is being offered which comes in two variants– Active, and Allure.
Initially, the Peugeot 2008 witnessed a pretty hard time picking up sales. It was not until September 2022 that Peugeot sales finally started to creep up. The primary reason behind this surge in sales was the massive increase in prices of other crossovers which were previously priced in the same league as Peugeot 2008. Also, the availability factor played its part since there was a huge delay in deliveries of other vehicles mainly due to the import restrictions on CKD parts imposed by the State Bank of Pakistan, whereas the Peugeot 2008 was almost readily available.
Related: 2023: LMC Witnesses a Massive Decline in Kia and Peugeot Sales
In the calendar year 2022, LMC managed to sell 1,590 units of Peugeot 2008 bulk of which were sold during the latter half of the year. In 2023 however, only 1,000 units were sold. We don’t have sales data for January & February 2004 as of yet (LMC is not a PAMA member company), still between March 2022 and December 2023, the company has managed to sell 2,590 units of Peugeot 2008 rendering a monthly sales average of 117 units.
While the Peugeot 2008 sales average is by no means extraordinary, it is far better than the Honda HR-V and BR-V, which have long had dismal sales, with monthly averages of around 70 and 50 units, respectively.
The French crossover comes powered by a 1.2L turbocharged engine which punches out 130 hp of power and 230 Nm of torque. The engine is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard across both variants. The key differences between the two variants are the presence of 6 airbags in Allure while Active has 4, a chrome front grille in Allure vs gloss grille in Active, 10-inch 3D cluster in Allure compared to 10-inch Quartz instrument cluster Active, TEP seats with contrasting stitching in Allure vs fabric seats in Active, as well as a panoramic sunroof, rain-sensing wipers and cruise control fingertip steering control in Allure which are not available in Active variant.
In terms of safety, the Peugeot 2008 comes standard with airbags (6 in Allure/4 in Active), ABS with EBD, ESP (electronic stability program), hill assist, electric parking brake, TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system), ISOFIX child seat anchorage, high-beam assist (HBA), lane keep assist (LKA), driver attention assist, active blind spot monitoring, rear parking sensors, and rearview camera.
When launched two years ago, the base Active variant was priced at PKR 52.50 lac while the flagship Allure variant was available for PKR 58.50 lac. Now, however, the prices are up to 34% higher than they were at the time of launch with Active available for PKR 70.5 lac whereas the Allure is available for PKR 78.0 lac.
Peugeot e-2008 GT in Pakistan
During the launch event, the company also displayed the electric e-2008 GT and revealed its intentions to launch the EV in Pakistan but is yet to make a formal announcement in this regard. Though we have seen plenty of EV offerings introduced during the last few months, the possibility of LMC launching the e-2008 cannot be completely ruled out.
Overall, it’s quite an impressive car with looks & road presence that stand out from the rest, a catchy interior, and a decent level of equipment & safety features on offer. Despite this, the market’s reaction to the Peugeot 2008 in Pakistan has been largely mediocre. It isn’t a tremendous success, but neither is it a failure. But its performance is sure better than a number of competing options such as Chery Tiggo, Proton X70, DFSK Glory, and Honda HR-V & BRV.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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