Fresh Peugeot 508 approved for Australia

The facelifted 2023 Peugeot 508 is only a matter of months away from Australian showrooms and, according to homologation data just published by the federal government, it seems the sexy European mid-sizer is going all-hybrid.

Peugeot Australia is yet to formally announce anything about the updated 508’s local arrival, but Australian Design Rule documents indicate just two variants will be offered here from launch – a plug-in hybrid sedan and a matching wagon.

Given the GT has long been the only 508 trim offered in Australia, odds are both these vehicles will carry the GT variant designation, as per the current 508 line-up.

The 2023 Peugeot 508 sedan and wagon will both be powered by the same 165kW/360Nm plug-in hybrid system as the existing model, which blends a 133kW 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine with an 81kW electric motor fed by an 11.8kWh lithium-ion battery.

The modest battery yields a claimed electric range of up to 55km on the WLTP cycle.

Drive will once again be sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The facelifted model’s finer specification (and pricing) details for our market are yet to be confirmed, but the homologation data does at least confirm the standard inclusion of 18-inch alloy wheels (19s will be optional) and a tyre repair kit rather than a full-size or space-saver spare.

Highlights of the updated 508 already available overseas include a redesigned cabin headlined by a new 10-inch infotainment system backed by the latest Peugeot i-Connect Advanced operating system and including connected navigation, natural language voice recognition, wireless connectivity and over-the-air update capability.

Other new touches include a fully configurable 12-inch digital instrument cluster, button-based gear selector, compact new steering wheel, Level 2 semi-autonomous driving capability and a new night vision camera that can detect animals, cyclists and pedestrians along the roadside.

All of this new gear is paired with a handsome new exterior design led by the French brand’s new frameless grille, as seen on the Peugeot 408 SUV.

Unfortunately, there’s still no sign of the hot Peugeot Sport Engineered (PSE) variant, which has long been under evaluation for Australia but remains off-limits locally.

Given Peugeot Australia has just launched the pre-facelift 508 GT Sportswagon PHEV here, we expect the facelifted model to go on sale Down Under either late this year or in the first quarter of 2024.