Peugeot to re-enter India with 408 sedan (Upcoming Cars)

WHEN: 2012

HOW MUCH: Rs 14 - 17 lakh

ENGINES: 2.0-litre 149 PS petrol, 1.6-litre 110 PS diesel

COMPETITION: Honda Civic, Renault Fluence, Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Laura

This is Peugeot's new 408 sedan, an important global model for the French car-maker, and one which will herald the Lion's re-entry into the Indian market. The 408 has already been launched in China and Brazil.

The new 408 aims at redifining an increasingly crowded and competitive market - the executive sedan segment - which is seeing frenetic activity in India. When launched, the Peugeot 408 will compete with the likes of the Honda City, Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Laura, Chevrolet Cruze and the Renault Fluence, and also the new Hyundai Elantra, which should be in the Indian market by then. It will then have its work cut out, but it does come well equipped for the bout.

The 408 is based on a stretched platform of Peugeot's 308 hatchback, and boasts of a 2710mm wheelbase, which will be the largest in this class. This is an important consideration, because a longer wheelbase translates into a more spacious cabin, very important in markets like China and India where a large segment of customers will be chauffer-driven.

The Peugeot 408 has also been styled in accordance with Asian tastes, and features generous lashings of chrome on the exterior, along the sides, grille and rear. The tail lamps have been designed to look like a 'lion's claw' and feature three horizontal red strips with white separating lines in between.

The Peugeot 408's cabin is built of plush materials, including what Peugeot calls 'slush' plastic for the dashboard, to give it a rich feel. A wide cabin (1470mm of shoulder room) should ensure that three passengers can be accomodated at the rear comfortably. A large 526-litre boot is augmented by 33 litres of in-cabin stowage, including a 10-litre glovebox. The driver's seat features a 50 mm range of adjustment, and there's a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The Peugeot 408 features 'butterfly' wipers, like the Honda Civic, with the blades sweeping from the inside to the outside. This is an intelligent cost-saving measure, since the same system works for both left-hand drive and righthand drive markets, and does not need to be reconfigured.

Peugeot has specified different engines for different markets, with the range having a choice of three petrol and two diesel motors. For India, Peugeot will likely equip the 408 with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 1.6-litre HDi diesel. The petrol motor produces 149 PS and 200 Nm of torque, whereas the diesel pumps out 110 PS and 240 Nm of torque, ratings which are par for the course in this segment. Further, there is the choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions. All four wheels have disc brakes, with EBS + ABD as standard. The Peugot 408's ABS system is designed to activate only once the car crosses a speed of 50 km/h, enabling more control to the driver at slow speeds.

The 408 will be built at Peugeot's new Indian plant, which could be set up in either Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu or Gujarat. It will be priced between Rs 14 - 17 lakh, which should make it competitive.