The new Peugeot 308 has been crowned European Car of the Year. It was awarded the title by a jury of 58 journalists, representing 22 European countries.
A total of 30 new models from American, Korean, European and Japanese manufacturers, which went on sale in Europe during 2013, were eligible for the Car of the Year 2014 award. The final votes for the seven finalist models, pre-selected in December, were: Peugeot 308 - 307; BMW i3 - 223; Tesla Model S - 216; Citroën C4 Picasso - 182; Mazda3 - 180; Skoda Octavia - 172; and Mercedes-Benz S-Class - 170.
Receiving the award Maxime Picat, Peugeot Brand CEO, said: “With the new Peugeot 308, we were convinced we had achieved a leap in concept, technology and quality, which would soon allow it a place on the podium for the category in Europe. The prestigious 2014 European Car of the Year award, which I receive in the names of all of those who contributed towards the development and launch of the model, is the best confirmation of this.”
The new 308 is the fourth Peugeot model to be
distinguished by the European Car of the Year award. It comes after the Peugeot 307 in 2002, the 405 in 1988, and the 504 in 1969. Produced at Sochaux, the brand’s historic cradle, the new 308 was launched in Europe during the last four months of 2013 and arrived in Irish dealerships in late December.
Described proudly by Peugeot as the epitome of style, elegance, efficiency and innovation, more than 55,000
orders were recorded since its launch. The new 308 is a clear example of the Peugeot brand’s continued move up-market, confirmed by the mix of the orders: Forty-eight per cent of orders are for the upper trim levels 3 and 4 in the range.
From this spring, the new 308 range will be expanded with the introduction of a second body style, the classy and spacious Peugeot 308 SW, and with the arrival of new petrol and diesel engines.
The exceptional PureTech 3-cylinder 1.2 e-THP 130bhp turbo petrol engine will arrive at the same time as three BlueHDi engines, including the new BlueHDi 1.6 litre 120bhp version with CO2 emissions of 82g/km, a record in the segment.
The new Peugeot 308 is available in Ireland from €18,990 plus delivery. It comes with a five year warranty as standard.
