Peugeot has moved up to third place in the UK passenger car sales league with record sales for 1998, according to the official figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

And as the record sales were announced, the number of applicants for the 900 new jobs being created by Peugeot in the UK passed the 10,000 mark!

The new jobs are the result of soaring demand for the new 206 range, launched last November at its Ryton assembly plant, Coventry. A third shift will start in May to increase output from around 2,500 to 3,400 cars a week.

In 1998, Peugeot car sales rose by 8.4%, from 167,472 to 181,558, compared to the average increase in the industry of 3.5%. Peugeot's sales performance was boosted towards the end of the year by the unprecedented impact of the new 206 range, which attracted more than 10,000 sales in less than two months.

Richard Parharm Peugeot's Managing Director, commented:

"This is a great achievement both in sales and industrial terms and puts us in a strong position to move further ahead in 1999."