THE PEUGEOT 3008 crossover, revealed at Geneva earlier this year and due to appear at Frankfurt next month in HYbrid4 guise, is on its way to Australia.

Based on the Peugeot 308 hatchback, the slightly larger and roomier 2010 Peugeot 3008 is expected to be offered with a range of petrol and diesel engine options.

Peugeot Australia’s Mark McCartney confirmed to TMR today that the 3008 will arrive in Australian showrooms in early to mid-2010.

“The 3008 will be here in the second quarter of next year, though we can’t say specifically when. We’re hoping for earlier rather than later, of course,” Mr McCartney told TMR.

“The 3008 is an interesting car, size and style-wise. It’s a combination of compact SUV meets car, meets hatchback, and we’re looking at people who want a bit more car in their SUV or a bit more SUV in their car.

“People looking at hatchbacks but want something bigger, perhaps with a higher seating position and with more space than your usual hatchback. People that want more from a standard-sized car, without stretching to a full-size SUV.”

The European-market 3008 has been announced with a range of petrol and diesel engine options, including:

Diesel:

• 1.6 litre HDi turbo diesel engine making 79kW (107hp) and 240Nm (177lb-ft) of torque.
• 2.0 litre HDi with 110kW (148hp) and 340Nm (251lb-ft) of torque.
• 2.0 litre HDi making 120kW (161hp) and the same 340Nm of torque.

Petrol:

• 1.6 litre VTi engine making 88kW (118hp) and 160Nm (118lb-ft) of torque.
• 1.6 litre THP engine making 110kW (148hp) and 240Nm (177lb-ft) of torque.

Mr McCartney was tight-lipped about specific powertrain options for Australia, but confirmed that the 3008 would appear in both petrol and diesel-powered guise.

“At the moment, the 3008 will likely be offered with both diesel and petrol-turbo engine options, and both will be of a high specification. Pricing would start in the mid-to-high $30,000 range,” he said.

As for the HYbrid4 3008 scheduled to appear at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Mr McCartney said that it’s simply too early to say if the 2011 European-market production version will come to Australia.

“We understand the HYbrid4-equipped 3008 will be available in Europe from mid-2011. We’ve expressed interest in the model, but being so far off, it’s difficult to say at this point.”

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