From the Peugeot 301 to the 308, ten generations of a winning car

Peugeot is one of the best-known brands in Europe and one of the best-selling. In its history we find the 300 range, made up of vehicles that sit between a small saloon and an estate car. It was born no less than 90 years ago, during which time it has evolved into the model that is on the market today.

The first car in this range appeared in 1932. It was the Peugeot 301, and it was sold until 1936 in several configurations: saloon, limousine, coupé, cabriolet and roadster. It was equipped with a 1.4-litre engine producing 35 CV. 70,500 units were put on sale. A figure that is not bad at all, considering the date.

This model was followed by the Peugeot 302, which arrived in 1936. This model achieved 25,100 units and represented an important step forward in aerodynamics. The headlights were integrated and placed behind the grille, which offered lower air resistance. It followed the line offered by the Peugeot 402 and was a revolution for the brand. This model already reached the surprising speed of 100 km/h.

The 303 never arrived because of the Second World War, but three decades later the Peugeot 304 arrived. It kept the 204 platform, but changes were made to give it more functionality. Its look was considerably modernised and it became a benchmark among family saloons.

1,200,000 units of the 304 were manufactured, which was popular in Europe but did not succeed in the United States. In the early 1970s it was launched in that country and sold only 4,000 units. It was too small for American tastes.

In 1977 the Peugeot 305 arrived, which remained on the market until 1989, when production ended. Its successor was the 405, although the 300 range carried on with the 309. This one stayed on the market for several years, with sales that reached 1.6 million units. It was replaced by the Peugeot 306, produced from 1993 to 2007.

It was available not only as a three- and five-door body, to which a four-door and a convertible version were later added. The sporty versions, the Peugeot 306 XSI and Peugeot 306 S16, took part in several competitions with very good results.

The model remained on the market until 2001, although the convertible version lasted a few more years, until 2003. In 2001 the Peugeot 307 was launched, which sold 3.5 million units until its discontinuation in 2007. That same year the Peugeot 308 arrived, which is still in production today.

Peugeot 308

The Peugeot 308 arrived that year, but it received a second generation in 2013, which has led to the current, third one. The first of them came with three- and five-door bodywork, plus the SW estate version. In 2009 the Coupé Cabriolet CC version arrived, although these shared the market with sporty versions, such as the PEUGEOT RCZ, an attractive 2+2 coupé of which 68,000 units were built between 2010 and 2015, and whose final version produced 270 cv and accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds.

The second generation of the Peugeot 308 had a length of 4.27 metres and a weight of 1,200 kg, which made it very practical and light. Inside, it adopted the new Peugeot i-Cockpit, a novelty that has improved over time and is far more efficient today.

Of these first two generations of the Peugeot 308, seven million units have been sold. The new Peugeot 308, presented in February 2021, is manufactured at the Mulhouse plant and already features the brand’s new logo. This new generation is the successor to a long and successful range.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackPeugeot 30824 versions · from 31,770 €