French manufacturer could follow the lead of Mercedes by replacing its saloon with two cars, one sporty and the other spacious, to tempt more buyersPeugeot is considering replacing the 508 saloon with two new models, company boss Maxine Picat has revealed to Autocar.
Even though the company has just unveiled a facelifted version of the current Peugeot 508, work is already underway on its replacement.
"We are considering two body styles, one more dynamic, one more spacious and comfortable. But we are seeing how the market goes," he said.
Peugeot could follow the path set by Mercedes-Benz which offers the E-class and more coupé-like CLS, using the same mechanicals but appealing to different buyers.
Indeed, one well placed source admitted that one version of the next 508 could ape the swoopy lines of the recently revealed Peugeot Exalt concept, but they still had to have a traditional saloon, especially for the Chinese market. He also admitted that there was still a place for an estate version to appeal to European buyers.
The success of the Chinese market is forcing Peugeot to examine its big car plans in other ways.
At the Beijing motor show in April, Picat told Autocar that he wanted the next generation of Peugeot 3008 to "look more SUV-like" amid concerns that the smoother crossover design of the current model was putting off Asian buyers.
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