The 508 comes from a disorganized history that makes it hard to say what exactly the 508’s ancestors were, so I am going to start with the 405. Few Americans might recognize the 405 as it was the last Peugeot to be sold in the US. As a family sedan, the 405 was a huge hit when it debuted in 1988. It won the European Car of the Year award in 1988, and with sporty handling and affordable prices and crisp styling penned by Pininfarina (a famous Italian design firm that has styled Ferraris and Lamborghinis), the 405 hit new sales records for Peugeot at more than 2.5 million cars sold by 1997 worldwide. The sedan version was discontinued when its replacement, the 406 debuted in 1995 while the wagon soldiered on until 1997. As with the 405, the 406 was designed by Pininfarina, and it was an even bigger success. In Sri Lanka, my relatives had a 1995 gray 406 sedan with a manual transmission. I became enamored with 406 due to its crisp styling, its sprightly performance, and its personality. It was also the car that I learned to drive a manual in, and thus started my love for manuals. Then sadly, my relatives sold the 406 last year and got this 508. In 2004, the 406 was replaced by the 407 which was nowhere as successful as the 406. In fact, the 407 was produced during the time when Peugeot and its sister company, Citroen, ran into financial troubles. For 407’s replacement, heavy pressure was put on the 508 in order to return Peugeot back to the spotlight that it enjoyed back then. In 2011, the 508 was launched with hopes of beating other family sedans like the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat, and the Mazda6. Continue reading
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