Due in the showrooms in April, the 508 saloon and SW estates will have all they need to take on the leaders in a fiercely-competitive market, believes Peugeot managing director Jonathan Goodman.

“This car signals the fact that we want to get back into the business and fleet market with a flagship model. Adding this line-up to our offering means Peugeot will stack up well against any of its competitors in the marketplace.

“We’ve done a huge amount of work to make sure this car will meet its rivals head-on. We accept the 407 has been weak in service, maintenance and repair costs and this has been put right with the 508. And at prices largely similar to the 407, the new car will represent a lot of metal for the money,” he told Fleet News.

Speaking as production-ready versions of the 508 were unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, Goodman said: “We believe 100% in this car and while we have conservative sales aspirations, the aim is to sell considerably more than the annual 2,000 units being achieved by the 407, which really just has not been there for us over the last two years.”

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