New Peugeot 3008 could have a 400-mile-plus electric range

Peugeot’s parent company, PSA, has unveiled a new dedicated electric car platform that will make its debut under the third-generation Peugeot 3008. The French brand’s latest C-segment crossover will arrive in three years’ time – and it looks set to be a transformative car for the company.

The new platform, called eVMP, will no longer support PSA’s line-up of solely combustion-powered options. Instead, it will focus on the Group’s collection of pure-electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains – with the flagship variant providing the potential for an all-electric range of 404 miles.

The eVMP platform is a heavily revised version of PSA’s current EMP2 architecture, which Peugeot says will help keep the 3008’s development costs to a minimum. The underpinnings will be available with either front- or four-wheel drive and a choice of battery packs, ranging in size between 60kWh and 100kWh. 

Peugeot has promised a pure-electric range of between 249 and 404 miles, depending on the battery size selected. There’ll be a broad range of motor configurations, too, ranging from a 134bhp unit in the entry-level, front-wheel-drive 3008, right up to a 335bhp four-wheel-drive powertrain in the flagship variant.

By basing the 3008’s electric underpinnings on the existing EMP2 platform, Peugeot says it will be able to retain the flexibility of a plug-in hybrid powertrain in the crossover’s range – something that its sister brand Citroen can’t manage with the newly revealed C4, as it’s based on the smaller, more EV-focussed CMP platform.

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Despite the fact that the new Citroen C4 retains PSA’s range of combustion engines, the eVMP platform destined for the comparatively sized Peugeot 3008 is expected to ditch them completely. However, there should be a range of 48-volt mild-hybrids to choose from, which will be developed in tandem with the Belgian company, Punch Powertrain.

Details are still scarce about the plug-in hybrid powertrain, though – the current model recently received a 296bhp 1.6-litre unit with 13.2kWh battery pack and a maximum claimed electric range of 40 miles, but this could easily be updated for the next-generation model.

The eVMP underpinnings will have a broad reach, too. PSA says the platform will eventually appear under all of the Groupe’s C- and D-segment saloons and SUV’s, depending on the region – which means it’s all but certain to appear under the next-generation 5008 SUV.

New 2023 Peugeot 3008: design and market

Recently-departed Peugeot chief designer Gilles Vidal told Auto Express that the company has learned about the buying habits of its current customers, providing enough of a business case to push the 3008 towards the more sporting end of the market, while offering an improved version of the 5008 for those in need of greater practicality.

Vidal said: “What we want to deliver to the market in the future is concepts that go all the way to what they stand for. If we talk about the 3008, it is not bought by families. It’s a couple who didn’t have kids yet or a couple who don’t have their kids anymore – either end of the spectrum, basically.”

Our exclusive images show how the 3008 could evolve into a sleeker coupé shape for its next generation. The 3008 is all but certain to remain a five-door, although Vidal’s team of designers are likely to play with the roofline and sacrifice a little rear cabin space to give the car a chunkier, more aggressive stance.

The styling choices aren’t too far removed from those used by Land Rover with the Range Rover Evoque. If implemented, Peugeot’s decisions would move the 3008 firmly out of the family SUV market, which is occupied by the likes of the Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga.

PSA’s financial position

PSA was one of the few manufacturers that managed to clear a profit in the first quarter of 2020, despite the problematic market brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The company made €595 million (roughly £540 million) which, despite being €1.23 billion down on the same period in 2019, managed to keep the company in the black – unlike Mitsubishi, for example, who’s financial troubles have forced the firm out of the UK.

PSA’s comparably successful first quarter means the company is in a better position to deliver its next-generation models, such as the Peugeot 3008, to the UK market. The firm has already seen sales success in 2020 with its current electrified line-up, enjoying a 10 percent increase in orders for the likes of the all-new Citroen C4 and the C5 Aircross Hybrid.

Check out the latest on the next Peugeot 5008 here...