Peugeot has added an electric scooter and electric bicycle to its list of options in the new 3008, a SUV that shares the same badge as the existing model but is a generation and more ahead in terms of design and technology.
The five-seater will go on sale in New Zealand early next year. It couldn’t come sooner for Peugeot, most of whose vehicles sit in hatchback and sedan sectors.
“It will allow us to actively compete in what is now the largest segment of the Kiwi market”, said the company’s NZ divisional manager, Simon Rose.
The 3008 is the first Peugeot SUV to sit on the company’s much-praised EMP2 platform, which underpins the 308 hatchback, sedan and wagon.
It is longer, wider but not as tall as the current 3008 model, architecture which allows more head- and leg-room for occupants and cargo space in the boot.
And that’s where the foldaway e-Kick scooter is, stored in a special docking station where it can be charged on the go. There is also the option of the Peugeot e-Bike.
But which one will those Kiwis conscious of their carbon footprint want? The e-Kick scooter or e–Bike bicycle? “We’ll investigate that and see what the options are,” said Rose. “It’s a good talking point for the brand.”
The e-Kick scooter is part of a collaboration between Peugeot and Swiss company Micro Mobility. Peugeot reasons that, in an age of worsening traffic congestion, the 8.5kg scooter gives 3008 owners the option of parking in an inner-city suburb, for instance, and scooting into work.
The e-Kick uses a lithium-ion battery and electric motor integrated into the rear wheel. It can be charged using a three-point household outlet in about 60 minutes, says Peugeot.
Fully charged, it has a range of 12km and a top speed of 25km/h. When the rider hits the footbrake, heading downhill, for example, regenerative braking helps top up the battery.
Should the battery die, the only range extender available is the rider’s leg power. Either that or they can fold it up and take it for a walk, rolling it along on its front wheel.
The e-Kick and e-Bike are not the only special effects in the 3008. The SUV’s interior offers more comfort and convenience, says the carmaker, thanks partly to a restyled i-Cockpit with 30cm-touchscreen and six ‘piano keys’ that control different functions.
The i-Cockpit Amplify switch controls such things as interior lighting, stereo settings, seat massage, and a fragrance dispenser that makes the car’s interior smell nice.
The 3008 offers drive settings for different conditions, including snow and mud. But despite Peugeot saying the 3008 gets “genuine off-road capability”, it hasn’t confirmed whether both two-wheel and all-wheel models will be available.
It has confirmed the global mix of two petrol and two diesel engines and six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, although what NZ gets won’t be known for some months.
“Indications are we will have an exceptionally high level of standard driver assistance and active safety functions versus key market competitors, and include both petrol and diesel variants from launch”, said Rose.
- Update: The Peugeot 3008 will be front-drive only, with only the future plug-in PHEV version offering all-wheel drive. It will arrive in 2019 and use a small petrol engine to drive the front wheels and an electric motor driving those at the rear. The petrol and diesel models NZ will get next year come with Peugeot’s traction control system, called Advanced Grip Control. It’s a torque management system that controls the power directed to the front wheels to maximise traction on slippery surfaces.