Dongfeng Peugeot places great hopes on 307 and 308

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai October 21) - With the official Chinese release of the Peugeot 308 today, Dongfeng Peugeot has confirmed that it will not be abandoning the 307, auto.sohu.com quoted the joint venture's General Manager Lei Xin as saying. Mr. Lei also added that there are no plans to manufacture the 308 hatchback in the country.

According to Dongfeng Peugeot's plans for next year, the 308's (pictured above) sales goal is set for 60,000 units. However, Mr. Lei still holds higher hopes for the car. "When the 308 reaches marker maturity, we hope that it will achieve yearly sales of 100,000 units," he said.

Although the 308 is to be one of the joint venture's flagship models, many in the media are concerned that the car has too many aspects, including power system, dimensions and wheelbase, which are identical with the 307 (pictured below). However, Mr. Lei added that the Chinese market has demands different from Europe, and that the power system is better suited to the realistic needs of Chinese consumers.

The 308 will be the driving force for Dongfeng Peugeot's mid-class sales, while the 408 will be aimed towards the high-end market. Meanwhile, production of its predecessor, the 307, will not be halted, as it will be targeted towards second- and third-tier cities. According to Mr. Lei, the 307 is a classic model for the JV.

Its not uncommon for a joint venture to keep selling two different generations of the same model in China, with Beijing Hyundai and Toyota still simultaneously selling two generations of the Elantra and Corolla, respectively.