The Peugeot 508 is the latest in a string of mid-sized passenger cars to be discontinued in Australia.
It follows the Ford Mondeo, Kia Optima, Subaru Liberty and Volkswagen Arteon and Passat out the door, even though many of these – or replacements thereof – continue to be available in other markets.
A single line announcing the discontinuation of the pretty liftback and wagon was dropped into a press release detailing the new 3008 SUV range.
“In response to changing consumer preferences in the segment, Peugeot Australia has confirmed the 508 will be retired from the local range, with limited stock remaining in the network,” the company said in the release.
100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
It’s fitting this line was included in a 3008 announcement, as several years ago the mid-sized SUV overtook the 508 in the local sales race as SUV sales continued to surge.
With the launch of the outgoing, second-generation 3008 in 2017, the pendulum swung towards the Gallic Toyota RAV4 rival.
The current 508 launched here in 2019, but at best, it has done roughly a quarter of the 3008’s sales in any given year.
Peugeot added a plug-in hybrid version of the 508 Fastback in 2022, with a Sportwagon PHEV following in 2023.
However, the latter was introduced after Peugeot revealed a facelifted version of the 508 in Europe, and pointedly didn’t announce specific launch timing for it here.
“Following the global reveal of the next iteration of 508, anticipated launch details for the Australian market will be confirmed in due course,” said a spokesperson for Peugeot Australia in February 2023.
The facelifted model never eventuated, and later that year Peugeot Australia dropped the petrol versions of the 508.
Earlier this year, Peugeot in the UK announced it was axing the 508, removing another right-hand drive market for the mid-sizer. It’s not offered in the UK, New Zealand or South Africa.
To the end of August, Peugeot has sold fewer 508s this year (53 in total) than any other mid-sized passenger car bar the Genesis G70 (29 sales).
It was even pipped by the moribund Jaguar XE (58 sales), discontinued Volkswagen Arteon (86 sales) and Passat (89 sales), and perennially unpopular Volvo S60 (107 sales) and Honda Accord (111 sales).
It did manage to outsell its platform-mate, the Citroen C5 X, which is classified as a ‘large’ car in VFACTS industry sales reports. The C5 X managed just 36 sales in the same period, and is also being axed locally as the Citroen brand exits our market.
It’s a far cry from around a decade ago.
In 2012, its first full year on the market, Peugeot sold 1085 examples of the first-generation 508.
Below, we’ve included sales for every year of the second-generation 508 in Australia.
| Year | Total sales |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 109 |
| 2020 | 204 |
| 2021 | 240 |
| 2022 | 130 |
| 2023 | 156 |
| 2024 (to end of August) | 53 |
MORE: Everything Peugeot 508
