While specs are important to determine the success of an electric car, price and availability are crucial.
According to the French auto magazine L’Argus the PEUGEOT e-208 will have a starting price of 31.000 euros. Moreover, PEUGEOT expects the all electric variant (e-208) to represent 15 % of the new PEUGEOT 208’s sales. Last year 230.049 PEUGEOT 208 were sold in Europe, 15 % would be 34.507 cars, therefore less than Renault ZOE.
Curiously, the Renault ZOE already represents 12 % of Renault’s sales on the B segment in Europe and this figure will increase with the arrival of the improved model.
Anyway, the PEUGEOT e-208 is undeniably an appealing electric car and first deliveries are expected next fall, but we already know how slow legacy automakers are regarding electric cars. I don’t expect the PEUGEOT e-208 to be widespread available in Europe before early 2020.
However I think that the Renault ZOE 2.0 will be more successful. Not only the production capacity for it will be higher, but specs are also expected to be better. According to Automobile Propre the new ZOE 2.0 will have a 61 kWh battery, which will put it in Kia e-Soul and Hyundai Kona Electric’s territory. Moreover, the 22 kW on-board charger gives it an unrivaled practicality.
For those who want a compact SUV, the upcoming DS 3 CROSSBACK E-Tense and PEUGEOT e-2008 might be tempting.
