What is the new SUV that began manufacturing in Argentina like?

Peugeot the manufacturing of the 2008the new SUV which is produced in the brand’s plant in El Palomar, province of Buenos Aires, and which will begin marketing next month.

Although a few days ago the French brand already announced the entry price of the range, positioned at 31,200,000 pesos, necessary to begin generating the first customers who take the savings plan route, the conventional marketing of the new vehicle will begin in the first days of August.

This is one of the two novelties that Peugeot has for our market these days, since it will soon be will announce a redesign for its range brother, the 208which is also produced in the Buenos Aires plant and with which it shares many components.

One of the keys to the arrival of manufacturing of the new 2008 to Argentina has to do precisely with the platform that was installed at the Peugeot plant to start producing the 208, in mid-2020.

But 2008 will also be the first nationally produced vehicle belonging to any of the Stellantis group brands that has an engine originating from another company. In this case, comes from Fiat.

The story of 2008 began to take shape a long time ago. To be more specific we would have to go back to 2016. At that time, when the Stellantis group did not even remotely exist, Peugeot confirmed an investment of 320 million dollars in its El Palomar plant to install the CMP platform on which it would build the 208.

Automotive manufacturing processes have been simplified thanks to the use of “platforms” that solve and make more efficient the production of several models on the same basis. That is, different vehicles that share the same origin can be built on this platform.

So, that advertisement from the French brand for installing a new platform was more important for its future as a national manufacturer than the news of the arrival of the 208, something that happened in 2020 and which today is among the best sellers on the market. In fact, an imminent renewal of this compact is expected to accompany the style shown by the new 2008.

To carry out this new project, an extra investment was required, which in this case was 270 million dollars. The thing is that the new SUV, like almost all the projects that arrive in the country, has the focus on export.

The previous 2008 version that arrived in Argentina came from the brand’s plant in Porto Real, Brazil, where manufacturing of this model was discontinued at the beginning of this year. From now on, the most important market in South America will receive the new generation of this SUV from the El Palomar factory.

More than 400 technicians and engineers worked to adapt the new model, More than 950,000 kilometers were traveled and more than 500 vehicles were used in tests and quality audits. Several of them were seen on Argentine routes in full testing. In total, more than 1,500 trials were carried out, some of them in Europe, the USA and Brazil.

Now production of the first Stellantis SUV manufactured in our country has begun, which will undoubtedly represent a new stage within the French brand and the group in the country. And its landing will be in the most competitive segment of the market.

For the 2008 manufacturing in Argentina, an adaptation of the plant was carried out that involved work on the development of matrices so that all the necessary parts of the new model can be stamped and incorporate them into the CMP platform.

The painting process was also improved with new technologies, to be able to paint two-tone bodies, something that will be characteristic of the new vehicle. And in the Assembly area, the main novelty is the incorporation of the glass roof opening for the new model, unlike what happens with the production of the 208, which is fixed.

It is important to mention that other improvements were also made that were carried out with national and regional suppliers, such as bumpers, seats, carpets, interior plastics and a large number of parts that collaborate to achieve a level of 40% national integrationaccording to what was reported by the brand.

The second generation of the 2008 appeared in 2019 in Europe and last year received an update in that market. That is the figure that the national production model has.

If you compare it with the first version, which did not reach our market, the difference that jumps quickly is in the daytime running lightssince those fang-shaped LEDs were left aside, one on each side of the trunk, and replaced by groups of lights that simulate the mark of a claw.

In turn, it will be the first Peugeot produced in America to incorporate the brand’s new logo, which is somewhat reminiscent of the shield worn by models from the 60s and 70s.

Visually, 2008 impresses with its modernity and avant-garde. Even its lines make it look like a larger vehicle than it really is. deserves special mention the design of your alloy wheelswhich seem to come from the emblem of Spiderman.

The engine it will have represents an industrial novelty since it will be the first vehicle under the Stellantis umbrella to have a propellant originating from another brand.

This is Fiat’s T200 gasoline engine, with Multiair technology and direct fuel injection, with 1.0 liter displacement and supercharged by turbo. It offers 120 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque, available from 1,750 rpm. The company talks about a declared consumption of almost 18 km/l on the road and 11.4 km/h in the city.

It is associated with a CVT automatic transmission (with continuously variable ratios) that in manual mode offers seven gears and has a Sport mode. It is the same combination that Fiat uses in the top-of-the-range version of the Pulse.

Inside, it maintains the i-Cockpit concept, with a rather small, almost hexagonal steering wheel and a digital dashboard which can be seen above the steering wheel rim. The center console is very similar to the one that debuted with the 208, with a driver-oriented multimedia center and several physical commands that help manage some functions more intuitively.

In terms of safety, the 2008 will have up to 6 airbags and a good supply of driving assistance systems. The aforementioned panoramic sliding roof and two-tone bodywork will be other attractive features of its equipment.

In the images that Peugeot began to publish in dribs and drabs a couple of weeks ago, you can see an electrical connector that plugs into the car. That refers to the 100% electric version that it will have in 2008, although that option will not be manufactured in Argentina but will be imported from Europe.