The Stellantis group confirmed an investment in its El Palomar unit for the production of a new vehicle: the new Peugeot 2008. It is the SUV that shares a platform with the 208, the second best-selling model in the country.
This new investment of US$ 270 million to produce the new model in Argentina, complements the US$320 million already invested previously for the industrial transformation of El Palomar and the implementation of the CMP Modular Platform.
A few weeks ago, the group confirmed an investment of at least 400 million dollars that “they will be destined for our plants”, according to the explanation of a spokesperson. Part of that money was going to be used for the production of this new model that is now confirmed.
Prior to that, test “mules” were seen traveling some routes in the country. The prototype shown in the images was seen along with three others on the highway that connects the cities of Rosario and Córdoba, and were taken by a user of Instagram that he shared with Clarín Autos.
The previous 2008 version that arrived in Argentina came from the brand’s plant in Porto Real, Brazil, where the manufacturing of this model was discontinued. According to media in that country, the last batch produced was from January of this year.
In Argentina, that model disappeared from the official price lists in November of last year and has not appeared on the brand’s official website since then.
During this summer, Peugeot announced that In the middle of this year there will be an important novelty for the local market, which now makes sense with the official announcement of national production in 2008.
What is the new 2008 like?
The decision to produce 2008 in Argentina contains a lot of logic from the strategic point of view of the Stellantis group. The model that was offered until last year was built on an old platform from the French brand. Instead, the new generation uses the same base on which the 208 is manufactured.
The type of platform installed in a factory will not only determine the model it manufactures, but also It will be transcendental for the future options that an industry center will havel, since these “bases” are usually useful for two and even three generations of the same model.
Since the installation of the platform was announced CMP At the El Palomar plant, there was speculation about the possibility of manufacturing another model in addition to the 208, which has been produced since 2020. Ultimately, the arrival of a modern and global platform was more important, due to the potential it offers, than the model itself.
Furthermore, the modernity of the platform will also determine fundamental issues of the vehicle, such as its safety levels, its energy efficiency and the equipment it may have, since this type of development is done thinking about future or cutting-edge elements and anticipating legal requirements that are much stricter in other countries.
At the moment, there are few details that transcend the new 2008. Its current generation was presented in 2019 in Europe and updated last year with a redesign that modernized his figure. That last style is what the model that rolls off the local assembly line this year will look like. It should also be the first model in Argentina with the brand’s new logo.
The model sold in the Old Continent measures 4.3 meters long and offers a trunk with a large capacity (434 Dm3). Compared to the 208, it is 24.5 centimeters longer, 2.5 cm wider and 10. cm higher. The main benefit is obtained in the rear seats, which are much larger.
The engines it will offer are still unknown, although it is ruled out that at first it will be exclusively gasoline. The CMP platform is “multi-energy”, that is, it is possible to equip the model that is manufactured with hybrid and electric options.
If this potential is added to Stellantis’ confirmation of developing electrified propulsion systems for the region, it is not at all unreasonable to think of an electrified 2008 made in Argentina in the not too distant future.
