European brand dumps electric car plans: No Tesla Model Y rival in Peugeot Australia's future as updated E-2008, new E-3008 and E-208 all off the table in favour of mild hybrids

Peugeot Australia has dumped electric passenger cars for now, having removed the E-2008 from its website despite previously promising the facelift version’s arrival in 2024. 

While Peugeot is bringing in the E-308 electric hatch, only 14 examples of the BYD Dolphin and MG4 rival are arriving in an ‘exclusive’ program — CarsGuide understands that after those are sold, that will be the end of the E-308 in Australia. 

The brand has also rolled back its plug-in hybrid range in Australia, discontinuing the funky 408 plug-in hybrid in favour of a mild-hybrid version.

After contacting Peugeot Australia about its electric car future, a spokesperson issued the following statement to CarsGuide.

“Peugeot Australia is committed to its electrification journey. In addition to our expanding hybrid range, this includes bringing the best range of 100 per cent electric vehicles to the Australian market, as such, the E-408, E-2008 and new E-3008 form part of our consideration for future product in the local market.”

The brand had also previously been vocal about its interest in the E-3008, an electric mid-size SUV that CarsGuide sampled at its global media launch in March 2024. 

The  E-3008 was expected to arrive in Australia’s hotly-contested electric family SUV segment to compete against the Tesla Model Y and BYD Atto 3 with 700km of WLTP driving range.

CarsGuide was told the E-3008 was on schedule for the second half of this year at its launch but Peugeot importer Inchcape is now non-commital about the E-3008’s arrival. 

Next it was the E-208 small car facelift, scheduled to arrive in 2025. In pre-update guise the small car was already sold in New Zealand, however it has now been withdrawn from both markets despite being approved for sale in Australia via the government’s Road Vehicle Register (ROVER). 

Peugeot sells two electric vehicles in Australia: the E-Partner van ($59,990) and E-Expert ($79,990, both before on-road costs). 

One of the main barriers has been price, and Peugeot’s importer learned the importance of this when it slashed E-2008 prices by $20,000 — pretty much 30 per cent — back in May. A few days later, the remaining stock had sold out. 

Looking at Peugeot’s plug-in hybrids, at $67,990, before on-road costs, the discontinued 408 PHEV was a lot dearer than the BYD Sealion 6 Premium ($52,990) and close to the larger seven-seat Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Exceed ($69,290, both before on-road costs). Only 71 new 408s have been registered in 2024. 

Peugeot is moving to where the industry’s big growth appears to be, introducing an all mild-hybrid 2008 range and promising the new 3008 will arrive with a hybrid system that achieves 4.9L/100km in the combined cycle to target the Toyota RAV4.

Hybrid sales have jumped in 2024 and are currently 80 per cent ahead of 2024, while plug-in hybrids have doubled in popularity. Relatively, EVs are growing at a slower rate, up 16 per cent on 2023 so far.

With reviews to Australian Design Rules (ADR) in progress now, it’s possible Peugeot will be able to be more nimble and adapt to changing market conditions in the near future. 

For Peugeot’s immediate Australian plans, the immediate future is mild and strong hybrid with 308, 408, 2008, 3008 and 5008 all getting some form of electrification. For now, more electric vehicles remain off limits.