RAY MASSEY: New Peugeot E-3008 boasts a range of up to 435 miles

The big motor companies have committed to joining the electric revolution. They don’t have much choice as the Government’s increasingly strict emissions targets mean strict financial penalties if they fail to comply before the UK’s ban on petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035.

However, as recent electric vehicle sales figures have shown, just making more electric cars is not enough. While there are many great battery-powered options hitting the market, customers should also want to purchase them.

Slow demand in the UK and Europe shows that there are currently not enough private buyers who do not receive the generous tax incentives offered to company car users, or cannot afford to do so.

Established manufacturers are also having to fight the wave of cheaper Chinese brands hitting UK shores.

This week, Peugeot’s global chief executive, Coventry-born Linda Jackson, announced plans to help make the switch to electric more convenient for reluctant customers. The three biggest impediments to making the switch are range, charging facilities and, perhaps most critically, cost, the company says.

So for its new E-3008 model, on sale from £45,795 for the Allure or £49,595 for the GT, with a range of up to 435 miles, Ms Jackson has announced a deal called Peugeot Allure Care, which aims to give electric vehicles “complete peace of mind” for buyers.

It offers comprehensive warranty coverage for the electric motor, charging system, powertrain, and electrical and mechanical components for up to eight years or 100,000 miles.

Peugeot is also offering a ‘switch subsidy’ across its pure electric range, providing customers with a 0 per cent APR for four years and no minimum deposit, as well as a discount of up to £4,000.

Jackson said the deal will give drivers “the confidence and peace of mind to make the switch,” adding that “it’s up to manufacturers” to make cars “as affordable and acceptable as possible.”

A fully electric Peugeot E-408 crossover and an E-5008 will also arrive this year.

However, to be able to enjoy the new eight-year Peugeot Allure Care warranty, owners must ensure regular maintenance within the “Peugeot approved” network and in compliance with the terms and conditions. That keeps coverage on for 2 years or 16,000 miles after each scheduled maintenance.

The French automaker’s current standard warranty is three years and up to 60,000 miles on passenger vehicles, increasing to 100,000 miles for commercial vehicles.

Although it currently only applies to this vehicle, the Peugeot Allure Care program is likely to be expanded to other new models if successful.

Experts predict a price-cutting war by some manufacturers desperate to shift electric vehicle stock. But just cutting prices, as loss leaders, would only reduce the resale value of new cars for their buyers, so it had to be handled sensitively, he said.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has called on the government to halve, to 10 per cent, the VAT paid on new electric cars to boost dwindling sales to private buyers.

The new generation Peugeot models will feature voice-controlled ChatGPT artificial intelligence, including questionnaires.

With a lion as its symbol and insignia, Peugeot also announced a partnership with the British charity Born Free, co-founded by Will Travers and his parents Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, who starred in the film of the same name, to protect lions and other species. of wildlife. .

Recycling and reusing batteries is also critical to the company’s electric vehicle strategy, he said.

The psychedelic vibe of the new Mini Aceman

Just leave the wrapping on,” is my reaction to the new Mini Aceman compact SUV.

It is shown here in a slight disguise during final testing in hot weather and sandy desert, before being fully unveiled in a few months. It will go on sale later this year.

That ’60s-style psychedelic vibe looks cool.

With four doors, a large tailgate and room for five people inside, the Aceman slots between the Mini Cooper and Mini Countryman as the third standalone model in Mini’s new all-electric family.

It will only be offered with an all-electric powertrain and a 54.2 kWh battery.

The first pre-production tests were carried out in the sub-zero Arctic Circle.

The new Aceman will initially be built in China, under a joint venture with Chinese automaker Great Wall.