Exclusive: Peugeot E-408 electric fastback to be revealed on 2 October

The electric version of the striking Peugeot 408 fastback is set to be revealed on 2 October, Peugeot UK’s managing director has told Auto Express. The simply named Peugeot E-408 will go on sale before the end of the year as well. 

The regular 408 sits on the same platform as the Peugeot 308 and Vauxhall Astra, so we’re expecting the E-408 to use the same running gear as their EV versions, the E-308 and Astra Electric. That means a 154bhp front-mounted e-motor and a 54kWh battery, which should give the E-408 a range of around 250 miles. 

We don’t expect the E-408 will receive any styling or interior design changes, as the 308 and E-308 are identical, and it’s the same story with the Astra. 

Prices for the Peugeot E-408 are likely to start from around £40,000, considering the Peugeot E-308 is priced from £38,550 – nearly £8k more than a pure petrol 308 in the equivalent specification. For reference, the starting price for a petrol 408 is currently £32,820.

The arrival of the E-408 will mark a significant milestone for Peugeot, as it will mean every model in its line-up – including the firm’s range of vans – is available with pure-electric power. The latest EVs to join the range were the E-3008 and E-5008, which Peugeot has now confirmed will offer up to 435 and 415 miles of range respectively when the long-range versions arrive next year.

Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Eurig Druce, the newly appointed managing director of Peugeot UK, said this achievement sets the brand apart in the marketplace. 

He told us: “There are two things going on in the market right now; you have the normal competition between brands who are trying to win customers from each other, but there is a subsurface economic war going on in the car industry between those who can and those who can’t.

“Those who can achieve the government legislation [the ZEV mandate]... [this] puts you in a stronger position, which means that you will succeed in the future market. And those who can’t, who have nothing other than to fight back and say how crazy the legislation is – you see it all over the place where people are denying it, and [are] becoming dinosaurs almost.

“So you have to choose what side of that market you want to be. Do you want to be an equivalent to a tobacco company that will be seen in ten, 15 years time as really not cool? Or are you a brand that actually in this market can really succeed? Peugeot is in that camp, as our whole range will be electric.”

Unlike some brands, Peugeot has not set a date for when it will stop selling petrol or diesel-powered cars in the UK. Druce explained: “At the end of the day, what we all have to do is follow the legislation on the one hand, and follow customer demand on the other. I can't give you a date in mind, and I wouldn't be so arrogant to say that in ‘2027 I'm going to stop selling ICE cars’. Because if consumers are telling me in 60 per cent mix that they want electric vehicles, then that’s what we would have to do.

“We have to have that agility and response to where the customer is at. It’s not for me to dictate. I [will]  try and push to be better in that electric market in the future, but I'm not an evangelist.”

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